


The Princess and the Pauper

by CarlottaStudios



Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: (covers her face in shame), F/M, oh god this story, please forget I wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2020-07-12 07:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19942099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarlottaStudios/pseuds/CarlottaStudios
Summary: On Terra Krystal, there were two children, a pauper boy named Aerrow, and the young princess, Piper. Of course, these children grow up and fall in love. But since when can a princess marry a pauper?





	1. First Meeting

“STOP THIEF!” the angry voice with a heavy southern drawl yelled.

Aerrow swerved furiously around the corner, dashing over the cobblestone streets. As he ran, only one thought was going in his head:

‘How did I get myself into this mess?!’

Aerrow was a young orphan, living on the streets of the vast Terra Krystal. He had no idea who his parents were, for they had been killed in a war shortly after he’d been born. At least, he thought it was a war. He couldn’t quite remember.

Perhaps a physical description would help, for those readers that are not familiar with this character already. Aerrow was 7 years old, but he was tall for his age. His hair was ruby red, spikey, and completely untameable. His eyes were, in contrast, emerald green.

Being a “street rat” as many would call him, he was skinnier than most boys of his age should be. And, because he could not work (or, more accurately, no one would hire him), his only way to get food was by stealing, even though he hated it. And today, he’d made the big mistake of stealing 2 loaves of bread and 3 apples from Mr. Moss, a ferociously tempered inn-keeper/bartender who’d taken a disliking to Aerrow since he’d first stepped into the man’s pub.

As the youngster quickly turned around another corner, a very fat, very fuming and very angry Mr. Moss swerved around. However, because he hadn’t been as prepared for the sharp turn as Aerrow was, he slipped and crashed right into a pile of tomato crates. Aerrow dearly wanted to stop and laugh at the sight, but he couldn’t risk it. Mr. Moss might be on the fat side of fat, but he was surprisingly fast. So the boy just ran on. Mr. Moss must’ve been rendered pretty dizzy by the collision, because when Aerrow looked over his shoulder, he didn’t see-

BONK!

Aerrow had been so distracted that he had run right into somebody, sending himself and the stranger tumbling and falling onto the pavement. He rubbed his aching behind and looked at who he’d crashed into.

She was a girl, about his own age, if he had to guess, maybe a couple of months younger. Her skin was dark, and she wore a long brown dress, ripped at the hem and smudged with dirt, and a pair of brown shoes. She had on a hood, and a lock of dark blue hair fell in front of her face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “just had a rough landing.”

Aerrow stood and helped the girl to her feet. She adjusted her hood, making sure it hid her face in shadow, but Aerrow could still make out her eyes. They were bright orange, like two mini-sunsets.

Suddenly, Aerrow heard the sound of people approaching. There was the clatter of armour, and shouts of:  
“She can’t be far!”

It was most likely the royal guards, so it might be best if he left. The kingdom of Krystal wasn’t very kind with unemployed people who had to steal to not die of hunger. Then he noticed the look on the girl’s face. While he was slightly worried at the thought of the royal guards, she looked terrified.

“Oh no!” she said, her voice filled with panic.

She turned to him.

“Please,” she said. “I can’t let them catch me!”

Aerrow needed no further explanation, not even any other reason to deny helping this girl. It was in his nature. He grabbed her hand.

“Follow me!” he said, and he took off, pulling her along.

They ran through another street, but the royal guard caught sight of them. There were three of them, and they each held a staff with a crystal at the end.

“There!” said one, pointing at them.

Aerrow looked frantically around, and saw the obese shape of Mr. Moss running at them as well! The girl gasped in fright, but Aerrow spotted a small, dark alleyway.

“This way!” he said, starting to run again.

The children ducked into the alley, their pursuers following right behind.

“We,” the girl panted, “can’t…outrun them! They’re…gaining…on us!”

“Don’t worry!” Aerrow said. “They won’t be running for long!”

He knew this alley well, for it was a common escape route for him and his fellow street urchins. And they had booby-trapped this alley, since nobody other than them used it! As the 3 guards and angry Moss sprinted after them, Aerrow spotted with delight the trip-wire he had his friends had set. The trick was that the adults would be so concentrated on catching them that they wouldn’t notice the wire until it was too late. It helped that the alley was almost entirely covered in awnings and protruding roofs, which meant it was always in shadow, which concealed the trip wire.

“When say 3, get ready to jump!” he told the girl, who now ran beside him instead of being almost dragged by his hand.

She looked in front of them and spotted the trip wire. She nodded. Aerrow glanced behind them: the guards and Mr. Moss were right on their tail.

“Get ready: 1!”

The trip wire was swiftly approaching.

“2!”

They were nearly there!

“3!”

As he said it, he and the girl jumped, just clearing the wire. The adults weren’t prepared, and they fell flat on their faces in a pile of flailing limbs and angry curses. Aerrow and his companion laughed triumphantly at the sight, before turning a corner out of the alley.

Once they were back in the sunshine, Aerrow clambered over a wall, then pulled the girl up with him. They jumped over the edge, landing safely on the other side. They were both still laughing from their escape.

“That was great!” Aerrow said in between gasps. “Did you see their faces?”

"Did you hear the insults they were shouting at us?" the girl giggled.

For several moments, they couldn't stop laughing. When they finally caught their breath, Aerrow extended his hand.

"I'm Aerrow, by the way."

The girl shook his hand.

"I'm Piper." she said. "And thanks for helping me, Aerrow."

"No problem." said the boy, checking the bag attached to his belt to see if the food he had stolen was still in good order. "I'm always happy to help out another kid on the streets."

Aerrow pulled an apple out of his bag and handed it to Piper. She accepted it as Aerrow pulled a second fruit out for himself. He bit into it greedily.

"Why were those guards after you?" he asked, his cheek full of apple.

The girl looked up from her snack.

"Huh?"

"Those guards. Why were they chasing you?"

The girl looked away, her golden eyes downcast.

"It's a long story." she said. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Aerrow figured it was something really personal, so he shrugged and let it go.

"Why were they after you?" Piper asked the boy.

"Because I stole from Mr. Moss."

Piper almost spat out her bite of apple.

"You mean Mr. Moss the innkeeper?"

Aerrow nodded. Piper stared at him. You needed guts to steal from Mr. Moss, who would beat those he had caught stealing from him.

"So, you don't have a job?" Piper asked.

"Nope." Aerrow said, shaking his head. "I wish I did though. Then my friends wouldn't have to steal."

"You have friends?" she asked.

"Yeah." Aerrow smiled, crunching into his apple. "Finn, Junko and Radarr. They're my best buddies. What about you? You have any friends?"

Piper suddenly looked away.

"Not really," she mumbled.

"What?"

Piper didn't answer for a few moments. Then she said:  
"I ran away from my parents. My mom is okay, but my dad..."

She stopped and sighed.

"He's nice too, I guess. But he doesn't listen to me. He tries to pick my friends for me; I don't have any real friends. So, I ran away and that's why the guards were after me."

"That sounds awful." Aerrow said. "I'd run away if my parents tried picking who I could or couldn't be friends with."

Piper smiled at him then.

"Thanks." she said.

Then she abruptly stood and grabbed his hand.

"Come on!" she called, pulling him.

"W-Where are we going?"

"You said you needed a job, right?" Piper asked. "Well, I just remembered there's a bard living in town who needs some assistants. You and your friends would be perfect!"

Aerrow struggled to keep up with the excited girl.

"Are you helping me get a job?" he asked. "Why?"

Piper laughed, and for some reason, Aerrow's heart fluttered. It was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh. He liked it.

"You helped me get away from the guards!" she said. "I owe you! So now, I'm going to help you get away from Mr. Moss! Permanently!"

Aerrow grinned and ran alongside her.

"So where does this bard live?" he asked joyfully as they turned a corner.

...

Several minutes later, Aerrow and Piper walked out of a small house on the edge of the city. The bard who lived there was a green-skinned merb named Stork. He was a really great writer of poetry and songs, even greater than any others Aerrow had ever heard. Stork had said that the only reason that he wasn't regularly sought after was because he lacked inspiration, not to mention the fact that many nobles wouldn't know a good poem if it bit them on the behind.

So, after asking Aerrow many strange questions about his health and whether or not he was "contaminated", he had employed the boy as an "inspiration seeker". He'd said that Aerrow and his friends could sleep in his guest rooms and that he would provide them with food and pay in exchange for their work.

"He's a little strange." Aerrow said to Piper as they climbed over a wall. "But he seems like a nice guy."

"I told you." said Piper. "Besides, I'm sure you'll get used to him."

"I've gotten used to Junko." Aerrow said. "And that wallop is always so hungry, he could eat us out of house and home. If we had a home that is. I swear we would have to steal a buffet to keep his appetite in check."

Piper laughed again, and Aerrow laughed too. It was a nice feeling, to be able to make this girl laugh. It filled him with a warm, slightly tickling feeling. Her giggles peeted out when they'd reached the top of the wall. From there, they got an excellent view of the sunset. Past the darkening shape of the edge of the terra, the sky glowed golden orange, yellow, pink and red.

"Wow!" Piper breathed, sitting on the wall.

Aerrow sat beside her, grinning.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" she said.

Aerrow beamed. The two sat in silence, marvelling over the wondrous glory of the sunset. Even though these children hardly knew each other, even though they had just met, they held hands as they watched day become night, and couldn't help but feel content in each other's presence. The quiet moment wrapped around them like a warm blanket.

And then it was jerked out of their grasp when the heard the harsh sounds of roaring engines and angry shouts. Aerrow recognized the southern curses of Mr. Moss, and Piper quivered in fear of an accented voice Aerrow had never heard before.

"Let's get out of here!" Aerrow said, pulling Piper from the wall.

But it was too late to run, too late to hide, even too late to draw breath. Three guards zoomed around them on skimmers, stopping in front of the children, cornering them. The very obese Mr. Moss sat on his own ride: a gleaming, rust red monster of a machine with spikes decorating the wheels. He grinned triumphantly at Aerrow as he climbed off. Aerrow glared defiantly back.

"Them's the ones, Grand Duke sir." the innkeeper said, pointing to them.

Aerrow and Piper looked around as another man dismounted from one of the skyrides from behind a guard. He had grey hair tied in a ponytail, poo-brown eyes (at least, Aerrow thought they looked about that shade of brown), and a fancy brown jacket with an enormous blue bow on the front. He stared down his nose at Aerrow.

"You say he's unemployed, Mr. Moss?" he asked, not turning his gaze.

Mr. Moss grunted a yes.

"And that he's been stealing from you regularly?"

Aerrow winced.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well." said the Grand Duke, before turning around. "Take him away. Perhaps a few days in the mines will teach him a lesson."

Two guards grabbed Aerrow by the arms. He was too stunned and terrified to fight. The mines were a street boy's worst nightmare. There, they would whip the workers who had to wear chains and work from dawn until dusk, given only an hour or two of rest and the most meager of meals. And the unstable crystals, when handled wrong, had caused the death of many miners. A youngster like him wouldn't last a week. He'd never see his friends again. He struggled, trying to wriggle himself free of the guards, but they had a tight grip.

"No!" Piper said, pushing toward him, but stopped by the arm of the Grand Duke. "You can't do this!"

The grey-haired man turned his condescending gaze to her.

"Oh? And why can't I?"

Piper bit her lip, then threw herself at Aerrow, managing to free him from the guards. She pulled off her hood.

"You can't arrest him or place him in the mines because, as princess of Terra Krystal, I am placing this boy under my protection!"

Everyone gasped.

"The princess!" the guards said simultaneously, dropping their arms and kneeling.

"Your highness!" the Grand Duke gapped at the girl.

"The princess?!" Aerrow said, looking at Piper.

Now that he thought about it, he thought that maybe he recognized her face from a parade or something. And it would make sense that her father would be rich or powerful enough to pick his daughter's own friends and be able to send guards after her. But to have that father be the king? And her, the princess?

"But, your highness," the Grand Duke said. "This boy is a thieving little street rat. He is unemployed and-"

"Not anymore." Piper interrupted him. "He's just been hired by Stork, the bard who lives on the edge of the town. Weren't you, Aerrow?" she asked, turning to look at him.

He stared at her, still unable to get his head wrapped around the facts. But he nodded dumbly. Piper looked to Mr. Moss.

"How much did Aerrow steal from you today?" she asked.

"T-Two loaves of bread and three apples, your highness." the innkeeper said. "But-"

Piper dug into a pocket and drew out a few gold coins. She put them in Mr. Moss's hand.

"I believe that should cover it and more." she said.

Dubious, Mr. Moss weighed the coins, then shot a steely glare at Aerrow.

"This ain't over yet, boy." he said, before returning to his skyride and roaring away.

"Well, now," the Grand Duke said, taking Piper's arm. "Let's get you back to the palace, young highness."

As he pulled her away, Piper turned her face to catch Aerrow's eye. She looked crestfallen. It was clear: going back to the palace was the last thing she wanted to do. Aerrow couldn't bear to see her that sad. True, she didn't tell him that she was the princess, but how could he blame her for that? She'd tried to run away, didn't she? And she'd just helped him get a job and a place to stay, right?

"Wait a minute!" he said, jerking out of his thoughtful daze just as Piper, the Grand Duke and the guards were mounting their skyrides.

They looked at him, Piper's face hopeful, the Grand Duke's disapproving. Aerrow bowed awkwardly.

"May I see you again..." he hesitated before adding: "...your highness?"

Piper's face lit up with delight. She nodded and waved before the skyride carrying her zoomed away.

...

"Where were you?!" Stork said as Aerrow entered his home. "What were you doing out there? And what was all that noise about?"

Aerrow just sat, apologizing for being late, and then standing back up to get his friends. But before he did, Stork stopped him.

"Out of curiosity, did you find me any inspiration for a new poem, inspiration seeker?" the merb asked.

Aerrow thought about it, then said:  
"Did you ever see the princess?"

"Mmmm...yes, once or twice. Why?"

"Are there a lot of poems about her?"

"I don't think so." the bard said. "Your point?" he added, sounding impatient.

"You should write something about her." Aerrow said.

Stork's brow lifted.

"That's a good idea." he said. "I think I'll do just that. Might take me forever," he added gloomily, "but I think I'll manage. Have you seen the princess? If so, is she pretty? Pretty enough for poetry?"

Aerrow considered it. Yes, Piper was pretty. Very pretty, now that he thought about it. She had bright eyes, a cute little nose, a dark, exotic-looking complexion and a beautiful smile. All in all, she was...

"Radiant." Aerrow said. "I saw her, and she's radiant."


	2. Friends Forever

That night, princess Piper of the kingdom of Krystal was leaning on the railing of her bedroom balcony. Although it was late, and despite her soft, plush bed and a glass of warm milk her mother had given her, she couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about that boy she'd met, Aerrow.

She couldn't forget how he'd helped her get away from the guards searching for her, without even a second's pause or hesitation. She remembered the playful, adventurous gleam in his eyes. His big, youthful eyes that were a very beautiful shade of green when she thought about it.

Piper sighed, slumping against the railing. Despite the fact she'd gotten Aerrow a job, she doubted she would see him again. Her father didn't like Stork or his poetry, because he thought the words were too complex and that the subjects were too gloomy. And Stork didn't like working for the king, who he had once called an uncultured donkey's arse, which was why her father had banished Stork from the court. So it was unlikely that she would ever see that charming, adventurous boy any time-

Plunk!

Piper snapped out of her train of thought and looked around. The sound that she'd heard was like a pebble hitting stone.

Plunk!

There it was again! She leaned forward to where she thought that the noises were coming from and-

"Ouch!" she said as a small pebble hit her on the head.

"Sorry!" a hushed voice called out from the darkness.

Piper, rubbing the spot on her head where she'd been hit, looked down. A boy tip-toed out of the bushes.

"Aerrow!" she whisper-shouted.

The boy put a finger to his lips, shushing. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Can I come up?" he asked, keeping his voice hushed.

Piper nodded and mouthed:  
"Wait,"

Then she rushed to the side of her balcony.

To give her one small piece of freedom, her father had the royal architects install a rope swing next to his daughter's balcony. What he didn't know, however, was that Piper had figured out that if you pulled certain ropes, it could lower the swing to the ground or raise it back up. So, she lowered the swing and pointed at it to Aerrow. He hopped onto the seat and, together, they pulled the ropes, lifting the swing and Aerrow with it. Within a matter of moments, Aerrow had reached Piper's balcony.

"That's so cool!" he whispered.

Piper smiled.

"Thanks," she whispered. "But...what are you doing here?"

Aerrow stared down at his feet, scratching the back of his head.

"I just..." he said. "...I wanted to thank you. For helping me. Besides," he added, looking back up. "I wanted to see you again."

Piper felt her heart flutter at the words. Without warning, the boy hugged her. She was caught off-guard, so unprepared that she nearly fell over. He instantly pulled away, whispering apologies.

"I just...could we stay friends?" he asked. "I know it'll be hard, me being a street boy and you being the princess, but..."

"Of course!" Piper said, hugging him this time. "We'll be friends forever!"

He hugged her back, and she could tell that he was smiling.

"We'll stay the best of friends!" he promised as they pulled away.

"Pinky promise?" the princess asked, holding out her pinky.

She thought it would be a little silly, but Aerrow linked his pinky with hers.

"Pinky promise!" he said.

A minute later, the boy was sitting on the rope-swing and had started to pull himself down.

"Wait!" Piper said, making him look up.

Piper rushed into her room and came out with a handkerchief. She handed it to Aerrow. He stared at it quizzically.

"A handkerchief?" he asked, looking up at the princess.

"When a lady gives a man a her handkerchief, it means he has her favor. My mom told me that." Piper whispered.

Aerrow blinked, then stared back at the handkerchief. Piper's favor...he had the princess's favor...that many boys could lay claim to that. He grinned up at Piper, brandishing the handkerchief.

"I thank you, my princess!" he whisper-shouted dramatically.

Piper giggled. But Aerrow wasn't done.

"Do not fear! I shall see you again soon-"

And as he said "soon", he swung a little too much on the swing and fell off! Piper gasped and tried to catch him, but he was already plummeting to the ground!

"Aerrow!" she whisper-shouted as loud as she dared.

There was a small thud and a loud rustling of leaves. Aerrow's head appeared out of the bushes, leaves and twigs stuck in his ruby hair, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"I'm okay!" he called. "And I've still got the handkerchief!" he added, brandishing the cloth.

Piper laughed lightly and waved as he climbed over the wall and ran off into the night. Yes, she would see Aerrow again soon. She was sure of it.


	3. Love

10 years later...

Aerrow entered the house as the afternoon sun poured in. He ran a hand through his ruby hair, quite longer and much spikier than it had been years before. But his eyes were the same: still bright and lively, still the same emerald shade of green as before.

He strode over to his room. He wouldn't be staying long. He just needed to pick up a few things before heading back out again. After all, Stork wanted him to spend all day searching for inspiration for new potential poems, and Aerrow didn't want to disappoint the merb who kept a roof over his head. Or at least, he didn't want Stork to think he planned to deviate from his duties today.

Quickly, he located a brand new sketchbook and pen. Then he looked over at the nightstand next to his bed. On it lay a lacy handkerchief. It was rather worn now, with a few strings sticking out from the design, and had dulled and greyed compared to the snowy white from when it was new.

Aerrow smiled as he picked up the handkerchief, remembering the day when he'd run into the princess, when she'd gotten him a job and place to live, and then she'd given him the handkerchief...her favor. The teen suddenly heard a snuffling, whimpering sound as, next to him, a blue-furred animal stirred from their light nap. He gently patted the mammal as it opened its huge yellow eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Radarr." he said.

The sky monkey-like animal let out a sleepy chirp and licked Aerrow's face. Then he burrowed his way back under the blankets and started snoozing again. Aerrow smiled, put the handkerchief in his pocket, and quietly tip-toed out of the room. In the kitchen, Stork was already up, writing furiously on a piece of parchment with an old quill.

"Hey Stork!" said the youth, picking up an apple from a fruit bowl nearby.

"You've still got a few more hours of inspiration-seeking to do." complained the merb, by way of greeting, his eyes never leaving the parchment.

Aerrow chuckled, then grabbed a shoulder bag, put his sketchbook and pen inside and slung it over his shoulder, crunching into his apple.

"And you're not going to complete those few hours, aren't you?" asked Stork, finally turning his gaze to Aerrow. "You're heading off to the palace again?"

For the briefest moment, Aerrow considered saying no. But it wouldn't make a difference; he was a terrible liar. So, he resigned to being caught.

"Yeah."

"Off to visit the princess? Again?"

"Yes." he admitted.

Stork grinned, but before he could say anything more, Aerrow said:  
"Don't you start with that whole "you're in love with her" business again. Because I'm not!"

The bard's smile grew by a few inches.

"Seriously," Aerrow persisted. "I'm not courting Piper!"

Stork nodded, still looking totally unconvinced.

"Oh, so now you're not absolutely, positively and totally in love with her?"

Aerrow rolled his eyes and walked out the door before the teasing could start anew.

...

The sun was just starting to set by the time Aerrow clambered over the wall surrounding the castle. Unfortunately, his shoulder bag got caught in the branches of a nearby tree. The red-head tugged on the straps, by the tree held fast. Blowing a lock of hair impatiently out of his eyes, Aerrow pulled harder, then harder still. Useless. The thin, claw-like branches gripped at the bag and wouldn't let go, threatening to scratch into the material.

Finally, with a last, desperate, almighty pull, the bag escaped the tree and flew against Aerrow's chest. He let out an "Oomphf!" as the thing winded him. Unfortunately, this also caused him to topple over the wall. He landed in a bush, leaving a small explosion of leaves and twigs in his wake. Aerrow resurfaced from the greenery unharmed and spat out a leaf. Blegh. Not his most dignified arrival at the palace, that was for sure. Oh well. At least he was still in one piece.

Just then, the door on the balcony opened, and a maiden stepped out into the sunshine. Aerrow's breath caught at the sight of Piper. She was even more beautiful than the last time he'd seen her. The light breeze blew her hair back from her face; and the sun cast a radiant glow on her dark skin and got caught in her dark blue locks. Even from afar, it made her orange eyes shine so bright that it was almost blinding.

A noise startled him out of his daze. Clank, clank, clank, clank. Aerrow looked about. Uh oh; a guard. If he was caught trespassing here, he'd be in for it. He ran in the opposite direction of the approaching footsteps to the other side of the castle. Then he spotted the backdoor to the kitchens. The door was ajar. Perhaps if he could just duck in he could-

Somebody banged open the door and Aerrow screeched to a halt. She was a huge, formidable-looking blizzarian woman with light purple fur, short brown ears and hair and fierce blue eyes. The woman carried an enormous barrel filled with garbage. She looked angry, and yelled over her shoulder as she stepped outside:  
"DON'T TELL ME MY COOKING'S NO GOOD, YOU SNUB-NOSED, TOAD-FACED TRASH-HOUND!"

She set down her barrel, grabbed a wooden spoon from the belt around her sizeable waist and threw it back inside.

"NOW GET OUTTA MY KITCHEN!" she hollered, shaking her fist in rage at whoever it was that had ticked her off.

As she turned, Aerrow dove into another bush. But he wasn't fast enough. The cook's sharp hearing picked up the rustle of leaves and she turned her head in Aerrow's direction.

"Alright, I know you're in there." she said.

Aerrow gulped and listened to her approaching footsteps. Suddenly, facing the guard seemed like a much better prospect than it had a minute earlier.

"Come on out, you rascal!" continued the cook. "It's time I punish you for nicking those muffins I made last week!"

"Wait a minute!" Aerrow cried, jumping out of the bush. "Please don't hit me! I swear I didn't steal any muffins of yours!"

The cook blinked and, finally, lowered the frying pan she'd been holding above her head (thank goodness she hadn't whacked Aerrow with that).

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were some trickster come to steal my pastries." she said.

"Yeah," the boy chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry to bother you, I'm just trying to get into the castle."

"Is that all?" asked the cook, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"

Aerrow was about to answer when he heard the clanking of the guard's armor again. Crap! He was coming!

"I'm not supposed to be here!" he whispered hurriedly to the cook. "Please help me! I just want to get inside without the guards seeing me!"

The cook grinned at him.

"So you can go in and add a little ruckus to this dull afternoon? It's a deal." she whispered back, then hurriedly guided the redhead inside, then stepped back out.

Aerrow might've questioned her, but what happened next shut him up. There were a few more clanking footsteps, then a loud WHACK, followed by a sound like a tower of dishes collapsing. The cook strode back inside with a big smile on her face, her frying pan held over her shoulder, and the guard being dragged behind her. A large bump protruded from underneath his helmet.

"Now, help me get his armor off." said the cook, bending down and removing the man's gauntlets. "Once you put it on, you'll be practically invisible in the castle."

"Thanks," Aerrow said with bewildered gratitude as he helped removed the guard's silver chestplate.

Once the guard had been stripped down to his heart-printed underpants, the cook hid the unconscious man, and Aerrow's bag, in a corner of the kitchen before helping Aerrow don the armor. The boy winced before flattening his spikey ruby hair as best he could and putting on the helmet.

"There you go." said the cook, standing back and handing Aerrow the guard's shield and sword, which Aerrow put into the scabbard around his waist. "Now, before you head off, how's about you tell me who you are and what you're doing here in the first place?"

Aerrow saw no reason to hide his intentions from the woman. She seemed nice enough, and she'd just knocked out a guard so he could get inside the castle.

"I'm Aerrow," he said, "one of Stork's apprentices."

"Stork as in that merb poet just outside of town? Oh, I love his poems, 'specially the romantic ones. So what are you doing here? Trying to find some inspiration or something?"

"Well, no," Aerrow admitted. "I'm actually going to see the princess."

The cook's eyes widened, then she nodded in recognition.

"That's right; you two met 10 years ago when she ran away and got you a job. She talks about you a lot." she added with a sly smile.

"Really?!" the redhead's eyes lit up joyfully, then he got a hold on himself.

Just because she talked about him didn't mean anything. She might just talk about him as a friend. Still, nothing wrong with hoping...

"Well, you'd best get going. Just keep that helmet on and no one'll notice you." the cook advised, opening the door for Aerrow.

He thanked her and, his armored boots clanking slightly, headed out of the kitchen and down a hall into the rest of the castle. But then, he was stumped. The palace was huge! How would he find Piper? He couldn't even remember where her tower was from here. Plus, it wasn't as though she would stay cooped up in her room all day! With so many large rooms and passages leading in different directions, this place was like an indoor maze. She could be anywhere!

Just then, two guards spotted Aerrow and called out:  
"Hey! You! Aren't you coming?"

"Huh? What?" Aerrow asked.

One of the guards raised an eyebrow.

"Are. You. Coming?" he said, slowly, emphasizing each syllable.

"Coming? Coming where?"

"I think he's lost." one of the guards whispered to the other.

"Maybe he's just new." whispered the other.

"I-I am!" Aerrow said, hoping they wouldn't suspect him as, in fact, not being a guard at all. "Just arrived this morning!"

"Oh," said the first guard. "well, in that case, welcome to the royal guard!"

"Thanks. So where are you guys going?"

"To the courtyard," said the second guard. "We're going to catch up on some combat training today. Say, since you're new, why don't you join us? Don't worry, we'll go easy on you."

"Oh," Aerrow hesitated, looking around for a vague hope that he could extricate himself from this situation.

Would he have enough time to find Piper after training with these guards? And would he manage to survive the combat training? Aerrow couldn't remember the last time he'd fought, if he ever had, let alone with a sword. But it didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

"Sure, okay." he said, following the two guards.

...

When the three reached the courtyard, the first guard unsheathed his sword.

"So what's your name?" he asked Aerrow casually.

"It's..." Aerrow hesitated, eyes darting around, trying to think of a fake name.

Just then, he spotted a small sparrow singing in a nearby tree.

"Sparrow!" he finally said. "My name's Sparrow!"

"Well then Sparrow," said the guard.

He suddenly lunged at Aerrow with his sword, which Aerrow barely managed to block.

"En guard!"

The guard drew back his sword, lunging again. Aerrow parried it neatly, then tried a lunge himself. The two swords clashed repeatedly. Aerrow's arm moved to block every lunge, parry every stab and even made a few good moves of his own! A smile spread over his face. He was really good at this! Seeing an opening, he decided to improvise, and flourished his sword which the guard tried to block, only to be disarmed. The sword flew through the air and Aerrow caught it in his left hand and pointed it at the defeated guard. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Wow!" he said, his eyes bugging out in the eyeslit in his helmet. "That was great!"

"Yeah!" Aerrow panted.

He couldn't believe that he had won his very first swordfight, and that he'd been very good at it! If anything, he'd say that maybe, just maybe, he had a gift for wielding a sword!

"Hey, why don't you fight me next?" asked the second guard, stepping forward.

Aerrow tossed him the extra sword.

"Sure!"

They fought. Aerrow won again. Then, the two guards challenged him at the same time. To make it more challenging for the boy, they gave him two swords. It turned out that ambidextrous Aerrow wielded two swords even better than a single blade! The guards lost again, but they accepted defeat graciously.

"That was absolutely awesome, Sparrow!" said the first guard, breathing heavily. "Truly, it was an honor to be beaten by you."

"Aw, don't exaggerate. It was nice to have some practice." Aerrow said, as though it wasn't the first time he'd fought with a sword, or two.

He looked over his shoulder at the sun. Strange; it was much lower than he'd thought it would be, and the whole sky was the most brilliant shade of orange, much like Piper's eyes- Oh no! In the swordfight, he'd forgotten about visiting Piper!

"Sorry guys, but I've gotta go!"

He handed the extra sword back to them, sheathed his own blade and ran back into the castle. This was just brilliant; how was he going to find her tower now?

After half an hour or so of running down hallways and climbing up and down various staircases, Aerrow was sure he was quite lost. He'd already passed several guards and maids along his search, but didn't dare ask them about where to find the princess. He slumped down against a column. How was he ever going to find Piper now in this blasted castle?

At that moment, he spotted another maid carrying a pile of laundry. Quickly, he ducked behind the column and watched her pass him by. She was his age, like Piper, Caucasian, with short greenish-brown hair and wide, innocent-looking blue eyes. He wondered if maybe she was one of Piper's handmaidens. Her maid's dress was different, more distinctive, than those he'd passed by before. Well, he supposed there was no harm in following her. At this point, any help would be greatly welcomed.

Trying to keep as quite a possible in his clanking armor, he followed the maid up two staircases and down a hallway leading to a third staircase. At the top was a small landing and a door. This, he was sure, led to the princess's quarters. The boy waited hidden at the bottom of the stairs while the maid reached the top and knocked.

The door opened, and Piper stepped out. She was dressed in a pink gown, long pink gloves and golden jewellery, and her hair had been tied up in a high ponytail. She smiled at the maid.

"Hi Dove! I see you've brought my nightgown back from the laundresses."

The maid, Dove, made a brief curtsy and smiled back.

"Yes, your highness." she said, her voice heavy with a French accent. "Vill you need some assistance?"

"I don't need any help getting changed, Dove." Piper laughed. "But come inside anyway. I need the company."

The two stepped inside Piper's chambers and closed the door. Aerrow knew he should leave now. After all, he could always visit the princess tomorrow. But he'd set his heart on seeing her tonight, and he wasn't one to give up easily. He climbed the stairs and raised the visor on his helmet. He would've knocked, but he heard the voices of Piper and her maid talking. Curious, he put his ear against the door to listen.

...

"So, how did it go?" Dove asked, laying out the white nightdress on Piper's well-made bed and placing a matching pair of slippers on the floor next to it.

"You mean the meeting with Lord Harrier?"

"Yes,"

"It wasn't as bad as with other suitors," Piper said, pulling off her gloves and removing her shoes. "At least he acted somewhat gentlemanly. But he's so self-centered! Plus he must be in his thirties or something! And yet he wants to marry me, and I haven't even come of age!"

"It is like that for most of zem." Dove agreed, undoing the heavy golden necklace around Piper's neck and placing it, along with her crown, in a special compartment in the princess' closet. 

"True," Piper admitted and waited on the bed until Dove undid the laces on the back of her dress.

She sighed as she changed into her nightgown and let down her hair from its high ponytail.

"It's just..." she started, slumping onto her bed once more. "I hate being set up like this, Dove. When will my father understand that I don't want an arranged marriage?!"

"Ze king is very hard-headed, you know that."

"Tell me about it," Piper grumbled and put on her slippers. "I just want to marry someone who isn't like all those nobles. Someone who actually cares about me and not just my crown. Someone my age."

Piper stopped. Her face was going red as she thought of a particular candidate for marriage. Dove looked over at her, smiling mischievously.

"You vouldn't happen to be talking about Aerrow, vould you, your highness?"

Piper smiled shyly at her maid.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Dove said. "After all, you've known him for 10 years, you vere kids together, and you've never seemed happier than vhen you vere vith him."

"Yeah," Piper murmured, drifting off into silence.

Aerrow had been the object of her affections for years now, and it wasn't hard to see why. His charisma and confidence were very compelling, combined with his daring and playful spirit. But he was also sweet and charming, easy to talk to and an absolute gentleman, and he had grown into a very handsome young man. Piper had never been able to see herself marrying and spending the rest of her days and nights married to any of her noble suitors. But she could definitely see herself spending those days and nights with Aerrow as her husband.

That thought made Piper blush, just as it did every time she imagined the possibility of marrying Aerrow. The idea had gripped her for a while now, ever since her childish crush on the boy had grown into something deeper, much deeper. Piper hadn't been able to name this feeling she harbored about her friend, but now she was sure she knew what it was.

"I think...I think I'm in love with him, Dove." she confessed.

The maid's jaw fell open and she dropped the porcelain figurine she'd been examining. It landed with a clatter of breaking porcelain on the floor. But that sound was drowned out by a muffle, metallic crash. The two girls turned to the door and rushed out to see where the sound had come from. Their gazes fell to the bottom of the stairs.

Aerrow lay there, slightly dizzied from his fall, but not very hurt. He had, of course, heard everything Piper and Dove had discussed, and Piper's confession of being in love with him had shocked him so much that he'd backed away from the door. However, forgetting just how small the landing was, that had sent him toppling down the stairs. Thankfully it was a short staircase and the armor had shielded him from harm.

It did not, however, shield him from detection. The clanking silver metal had outdone itself in terms of being the most un-stealthy armor in the world, and Aerrow's helmet had been knocked off, revealing his identity to the startled maidens above. One would need to be blind to mistake that ruby-colored hair and emerald eyes for someone else's.

"Oh my gosh!" Piper gasped upon recognizing Aerrow.

She hurried down the stairs to help him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Aerrow said, scrambling to his feet unaided. "Really, I am."

He lifted his eyes and they met hers. Both were equally red in the face. Aerrow didn't think he'd felt more humiliated, having looked like an utter fool in front of Piper. He tried salvaging some of his dignity by bowing respectfully to her.

"Sorry for the noise," he said, still bowed. "I mean, I know I shouldn't be here and it's late..."

Gosh, he was acting even more of an idiot, but what else could he say? What else could he do? Piper laughed and took his hand, making him stand straight again.

"Stop. No need to apologize. And you don't have to bow to me." she laughed, and Aerrow smiled, relieved and calmed down not that he'd gotten his bearings.

Piper blushed and looked down, suddenly shy under Aerrow's gaze. Aerrow, for his part, couldn't seem to look away from the princess, which made her blush all the harder. The boy opened his mouth to spoke, then noticed Dove out of the corner of his eye. He blinked, then cleared his throat self-consciously.

"Um, do you think we could talk? Somewhere private?" Aerrow asked Piper, who'd finally looked up, and darted his eyes significantly to Dove.

Piper mouthed an "oh" and nodded her understanding.

"Dove," she turned to the maid as she led Aerrow back up the stairs to her room, "please keep watch. And if anybody comes, tell them I'm already asleep."

"Yes, your highness." said the maid, hiding an ever-growing smile behind her hand.

The princess rolled her eyes, praying that Dove wouldn't be listening at the door. It was a futile hope. She wouldn't be able to resist eavesdropping, which kind of ruined Aerrow's hopes for a private place to talk. Nonetheless, she closed the bedroom door.

As she did, she turned to face Aerrow. Unintentionally, he was standing in the middle of the sunset light pouring in from her balcony, darkening his form, yet making his borrowed silver armor gleam with surprising brilliance.

"So," he said, breaking the silence that had threatened to fall. "I...I heard all of those things you and Dove were talking about."

Piper didn't say anything, still too dazzled by how the golden light and deep shadows played on Aerrow's features. After a pause, Aerrow, taking a deep breath, murmured almost inaudibly:  
"Did you mean it?"

Piper was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Did I wha-"

"Did you mean it? When you said you were in love with me?" Aerrow asked again, stepping closer to Piper.

The intense light and shadows had been somewhat muted now, but Piper still couldn't find words. Aerrow's gaze was intense, but his voice was hinted with hope and longing, and his eyes were pleading. Piper could almost swear she could see his hands trembling. At last she found her voice.

"Of course I meant it, Aerrow." she said. "How couldn't I? I'm in love with you; I have been for years now."

She heard Aerrow let out a long breath. She glanced up to see that he was looking at her with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Do you feel the same?" she asked.

"What?" Aerrow shook his head and blinked as though he were in a trance.

"Do you feel the same way about me? Do you love me?"

She looked as desperately hopeful as Aerrow had when he'd asked her a similar question, and standing not three feet away, knowing that she loved him, it was all Aerrow could do not to kiss her.

He was suddenly aware of how much he was in love with her. Every day Stork had teased him of being in love with the princess and secretly courting her, and he'd always tried to deny it, because it couldn't be true. How could he, who only ten years ago had been a beggar and a thief, in other words a pauper, be in love with a princess? It wouldn't work, no matter how many stories were written about it. However, maybe it wasn't so far-fetched after all. Maybe he'd only been trying to deny his feelings because he was afraid he wasn't enough for Piper? But now, hearing Piper confess that she was in love with him and wanting to know if he felt the same, his fears were wiped away.

He took the three steps needed to reach her, took Piper's hand in his own and held her face gently with the other. She looked at him, blushing as furiously as he, but with mounting hope and joy in her eyes.

"Yes," Aerrow whispered, not daring to raise his voice. "I do love you, Piper. I just hope that that's enough for you."

Piper put her dark hand over Aerrow's holding it to her cheek. Her face was adorned by the sweetest smile he'd ever seen on her.

"You're more than enough for me." she said softly.

Without knowing it, they had leaned closer together, their faces only centimeters apart now. Their eyes fluttered closed and their lips met. The kiss was soft and sweet, and more wonderful than either of them could've dreamed it to be.

...

Aerrow practically floated back home, feeling like he was on a cloud. Night had truly fallen now, with only the stars and lampposts to serve as illumination, but he could hardly care less. As he walked, he swayed almost as though he were drunk, which he might as well have been, if being drunk in love and happiness counted as intoxication.

After the first kiss, he and Piper had sat and talked for a while. Most of it had been possibilities of marriage and how they could get her father to approve of it. They couldn't just run away after all. Terra Krystal was their home, and if Piper left, her father would be without an heir for his kingdom. But after a while they had fallen silent and kissed some more, each one slowly becoming daring and passionate. They might've done much more than kissing or even have spent the night together if Dove hadn't interrupted them. The maid had led Aerrow back to the kitchens where the cook helped him out of the armor and gave him his bag back, than sent Aerrow on his way.

The boy leaned heavily against the doorframe when he finally found Stork's little house. Stork was sitting at the table again, but this time he had company. A brown wallop with big grey eyes and a tuft of greenish-blue hair sat on the merb's left, munching happily on some muffins. He was Junko, one of Aerrow's friends. Stork mainly used him as an errand boy, since the wallop's strength came in handy when carrying packages all over the terra. Next to Junko was Finn, a squirrely blond teen with blue eyes, spinning a muffin on his finger like a basketball (how he managed to do that is a question even I, the author, can't answer). Finn was the first to notice Aerrow, and the muffin fell off of his finger as his attention switched to the red-head.

"Aerrow! You're back!" he said.

As he spoke, a ball of blue furry lightning shot from underneath the table and leaped onto Aerrow's shoulder. Aerrow patted Radarr, chuckling as he saw the sky monkey's muzzle covered in crumbs and his cheeks stuffed with muffins.

"Try one of these!" Junko said, holding up a muffin for Aerrow to see. "Finn got them for us today!"

"You mean he stole them from the palace." Stork grumbled, eyeing the muffins as though they were toxic rat dung.

"Hey, they were left outside. I didn't think anyone was gonna eat 'em!" whined Finn as Aerrow sat at the table with them. "Besides, they're just muffins. It's not like I'm gonna be executed."

"Wish you would." muttered the green-skinned poet, pushing the plate of muffins away as if simply touching the pastries was a capital crime.

Finn glowered at his employer, muttering obscenities under his breath. Aerrow hardly paid attention to the talk. Any other night he would've been peeved at Finn for stealing when they had no need to do so anymore, or he might've even tried one of the muffins. But tonight his mind was elsewhere, back at the castle with Piper. He smiled to himself, thinking of her; of her dazzling smile, of how she'd blushed during their talk, of her fingers in his hair, of her mouth on his.

"Aerrow? Aerrow? Atmos to Aerrow; do you read?"

"Huh?" Aerrow blinked and raised his head, realising he he'd been lost in thought.

The others were all staring at him now, curious and slightly concerned in Radarr's case.

"Sorry guys," Aerrow said, "I was distracted."

"I'll say." said Junko, while mouth finally empty of food. "You were totally spaced out. Did something happen today?"

Before Aerrow could even blush, Stork answered for him:  
"Aerrow went to the palace this afternoon."

Aerrow slumped in his seat a little, his euphoric mood gone. He knew what was coming next. Finn's face broke into a wide grin.

"Ah, that explains everything." he said.

"It does?" Junko questioned.

"Yes it does. Palace means princess Piper."

"Ooh!" the wallop's eyes lit up and he turned to Aerrow. "So what happened?"

Aerrow was trapped and he knew it. It wasn't as though he didn't want to tell the others what had happened between him and Piper. He just wanted to be able to savor it for a while, not to mention find a way to tell them without seeming like he was bragging.

"Well," he started, "I did go to the palace."

The others all nodded like bobble-heads in anticipation, even Stork, who had brandished a quill and parchment seemingly from nowhere, ready to write everything down.

"I went up to Piper's room, and she...said that she was in love with me."

"She did?!!" Junko exclaimed, his eyes shining.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and?" Finn asked.

"And I said I was in love with her," Aerrow continued, unable to fight a smile as he spoke next, "and then we kissed."

"Awwwww!" Junko cooed.

Radarr let out a purr-like growl, a dreamy smile on his face, and Aerrow almost swore he saw hearts floating over the sky monkey's head.

"Wow!" said Finn. "Nice going, dude!" then he added, "'Course I would've been more impressed if it had been something else," to which Aerrow shot him a glare, "but kissing's still good!"

Stork rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean by 'something else'?" Junko asked.

"You don't need to know, Junko." Aerrow said, getting up and starting back towards his room.

"Oh no you don't!" Stork commanded. "As your employer, I want you to stay here and tell me exactly what happened; every last little detail! Of course, you can leave out the details of the kissing." he said with a shudder.

For a poet who seemed to like writing about romance, it was amusing and unusual how unenthusiastic he was when it came to experiencing any romance himself.


	4. A Chance

"...and then Dove led me back to the kitchens. The cook helped me remove the armor, gave my bag back and I left. The end." Aerrow finally finished recounting the events of the previous day. "Now can I please go to bed?"

He was very tired after telling the story, and small wonder. Stork had wanted to know everything immediately, and wouldn't even let Aerrow go to sleep. They'd been up all night while Aerrow told Stork what happened while the bard wrote everything down, occasionally stopping the boy and making him repeat certain parts with more detail. Now, it was sunrise, and Aerrow's eyes were heavily lidded and he had trouble keeping himself awake. His employer looked down critically at the roll of parchment he'd been writing Aerrow's story on, carefully looking for errors.

"Yes, I guess you can. Take the day off while you're it. This has given me more inspiration than a week of your usual work! You're definitely the best inspiration-seeker I've ever employed!"

"I'm the only inspiration-seeker you've ever employed." Aerrow corrected, dragging himself to his room.

He was still flattered by Stork's complement, though. It was rare that the merb actually regarded his employees with praise.

"So does that mean we get the day off too?" Finn asked hopefully from the other side of the room.

He, Junko and Radarr had excused themselves last night and had, lucky them, gotten some sleep, so all three were wide awake, unlike Aerrow. Stork shot them a frown.

"No, it doesn't!" he said. "You still have chores to do! And that aught to keep you busy today during my meeting with the king."

Finn slumped his shoulders, disappointed. Junko looked interested.

"You're going to see the king?" he asked.

The merb nodded.

"In a few minutes, so try not to destroy the house when I'm gone."

...

Stork made his way through the streets to the castle on foot. He didn't always trust skyrides, especially when he was riding them. Whenever things went wrong with a skyride, even if he wasn't on it, it seemed that it was he who always suffered.

Moving on from that tangent, when Stork finally made it to the castle and had been granted permission to enter by the guards, he was greeted by the Grand Duke. He stared down his beak of a nose at Stork. The bard stared back. Although the king and Stork were friendly-ish to each other (the king finally learning to respect Stork's poetry), the merb had never really cared for the Grand Duke.

"Grand Duke," he said stiffly, refusing to bow in front of him.

"Stork," the silver-haired Grand Duke replied just as formally.

He finally turned and started walking, thus losing the staring contest Stork had shared with him. The merb made a note to remember that as he followed.

"The king is discussing matters with his daughter at the moment, you will have to wait."

Stork's ears pricked up.

"About what?" he asked.

Admittedly, the king and the princess most likely spoke to each other everyday, but after hearing what had happened between her and Aerrow last night, Stork couldn't help but wonder. The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow, but Stork quickly forced himself to look neutral and only slightly curious.

"Nothing of your business," he finally said. "But if you must know, I believe it has something to do with the princess's marriage. Or rather, lack thereof."

Now Stork was interested. He was thinking about trying for more info when the Grand Duke stopped abruptly and the bard had to halt so he wouldn't bump into the wall.

"You will wait here." he said, opening a door and closing it behind Stork when he cautiously went inside.

Stork looked around the room. It was nice and bright, not like a dungeon or anything. Probably a waiting room for the people come to see the king. There was a bench where he could sit. After checking it painstakingly for dust or anything else that could lead to disease and potential death, he sat. But he stood again when he heard voices coming from the side of the room opposite from the door. He approached and stretched his sensitive merbian ear towards the wall (no touching, it was probably crawling with germs). There were two voices, a man and a young woman. It must be princess Piper and her father the king! He listened closely, getting more and more intrigued by what he heard.

"No way! I'm not doing it!"

"Darling, please, be reasonable!"

"Reasonable?! How can promising me to a man who I only just met be reasonable?!"

"Piper, lord Harrier is a good match for you!"

"He's in his thirties! And I haven't even come of age yet!"

"Alright, you do have a point. But you rejected all of your other suitors!"

"I don't want to marry someone old enough to be my uncle!"

The king groaned loudly. Stork leaned in closer to the wall.

"Honestly, Piper, you are impossible to please! This suitor's too old, this one's too arrogant, this one's britches are unlaced-Sometimes I think you don't even want to marry!"

"Well, what if I don't?"

Stork heard the king sigh and say with stretched patience:  
"Piper, you can't rule alone. No prince or princess of Krystal ever has unless they were widowed. If you ascend to the throne without a husband, it'll cause turmoil and chaos within our kingdom and I don't want that for you. You deserve a stable reign when I go, and you can't have that until you have a suitable husband."

"I know all that, but I still refuse to marry lord Harrier!"

"Then who will you marry?!"

Stork was so close to the door by now his ear almost brushed the stone. He would bet he already knew the answer to that question, and he would also bet he knew what would happen if Piper answered honestly.

"Somebody my age, for one thing! Somebody who really cares about me! Somebody like Aerrow!"

The princess stopped abruptly. Stork could almost feel the tension in the next room. When the king spoke next, his voice was dangerously calm.

"What? You want to marry Aerrow? The peasant boy? This is why you won't accept any of your suitors, because you want to run off with a pauper?"

"Father, I..."

"Tell me, Piper. Is he the reason you will not marry?"

The princess's silence was all the answer he needed.

"I see." said the king, his voice betraying no anger, yet it was tinged with regret. "Then I suppose I don't have much choice. Piper, you're forbidden to see him again."

"No! Father, please! I-I love-"

"It isn't a question of whether you love him or not, it is a question of marrying you to the right husband, and Aerrow is getting in the way of that! You may not see him until you are married-"

"You can't do that!"

"I can and I will! I am the king and your father, Piper, I am trying to do what's best for you-"

"Your Grace,"

Stork was as taken aback by the Grand Duke's voice as much as the king and princess probably were. By now, the merb realised that he'd been leaning so close to hear that-Oh sweet Atmos! His ear had touched that germ-covered wall! Fumbling around, he pulled out a disinfectant from his pocket and hurriedly sprayed it on the contaminated ear tip. But the germs had probably already spread to his face! His shoulder! His arm! He began spraying all over himself: his hand, his arm. Then he sprayed himself in the face.

"AAGH!" he yelped as the disinfectant stung his eyes!

He rubbed furiously, his eyeballs stinging as though they'd been pricked by a hundred wasps, tears pouring. Then he heard the door opening. Stork whirled to face the Grand Duke staring at him as though he were trying his best not to laugh.

"Stork," he said, barely stifling a smug grin. "The king will see you now."

"Oh, yes, good," Stork muttered, marching past the Grand Duke.

By the time he entered the throne room and was faced with the king, the stinging had worn off, but his eyes were probably as red as peppers. The king looked a bit tired on his throne, and Stork wasn't surprised, not after what he heard between him and his daughter. When he glanced at the princess, she was sitting on her smaller throne, biting her lip and attempting not to cry. Even in her grief, she was as beautiful as Aerrow had described.

"Stork, please, come forward." said the king, then his golden eyes, like Piper's, widened. "What happened to you?"

Stork guessed the king was talking about his eyes.

"Oh, I accidentally sprayed my eyes with disinfectant." he said.

"Uh-huh," the king nodded.

Stork looked again at the princess. He couldn't even remember why the king had summoned him in the first place right now. Whatever it was, it didn't seem important now. The love of Aerrow's life was a princess, and now that they had managed to admit that they loved each other, they were never to see each other again. It was like something out of a romantic tragedy. Except it seemed so much sadder now that it was real. It was kind of hard for Stork to admit, even to himself, but he wanted to see Aerrow have a happily ever after with Piper. He thought the boy deserved it. He had to do something.

"Your highness," Stork finally said, addressing the king, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your daughter about my pupil."

The king looked shocked and the princess raised hopeful eyes to the bard.

"You did?" the king asked. "How? That was a private conversation."

"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't put waiting rooms right next to the throne room with such thin walls to separate them." Stork said.

The king frowned. Oops, Stork had to reign himself in. The topic he was already sensitive enough as it was.

"Well, regardless," said the king, "I stand by what I told my daughter; she will not see Aerrow again until she is married."

His tone was firm and decisive, ending the conversation. He hadn't even given Stork the time to protest. He nodded.

"Father, please-" the princess said faintly, but the monarch cut her off.

"My decision is final."

The princess flinched at the harshness in his tone and turned her eyes away. Her father's expression softened.

"Piper, I'm not trying to make you miserable. I will do my best to find you a suitor who is worthy of you."

Stork was touched by the king's words, but still felt a twinge of anger and indignation. How could the king not see what even a blind man could?! Aerrow and Piper loved each other, that was what mattered! Aerrow loved Piper more than any suitor of hers ever could in a million years! If anyone was worthy of Piper, it was him! If only he could prove that...

Then, Stork was struck by a brilliant idea, as though by lightning!

"Your highness, I know it's not my place, but I think I may have a solution."

The king turned to face the merb. There was surprise, yet also a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"And that would be?" he asked, settling on his throne.

Stork couldn't help but grin. He couldn't help himself, it was too good an idea.

"If Piper wants a husband who she knows will care about her, he need only prove that he truly does in a contest. You will gather the suitors that your daughter favors most and give them a certain number of tasks that they must achieve in order to win your daughter's hand."

The princess shot a glare at the merb and the king frowned.

"My daughter is not a prize to be won, bard."

Stork suddenly realised how that had sounded.

"No!" he said, "Of course not! But that's not the point..."

...

"...My point is that these tasks must be so difficult and so hard to finish that only someone who truly cares about Piper would be willing to complete them. Although he'll have to make sure they're not impossible either." Stork finished telling Aerrow, Finn, Junko and Radarr.

He'd returned from the palace a while ago and had just finished telling them what had happened, as well as his brilliant plan. When he was done, Junko nodded.

"That does sound like a good idea." said the wallop.

Finn appeared much less convinced.

"Uh, yeah, but there's just one problem: how does this help Aerrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, Stork," Aerrow nodded in agreement. "And besides, you heard the king. He's definitely not going to accept having me as a son-in-law anytime soon."

His eyes lowered as he said it. He couldn't believe Piper's father was so dead-set on having her marry someone, anyone, who wasn't a pauper like him. But Stork didn't look deterred, if anything he looked even more excited than before!

"It helps Aerrow because he could participate in the competition pretending to be one of Piper's suitors! And if he wins, I'm saying "if" because we never know when something could come up and doom the whole plan, anyway, if he wins, then he can marry Piper!"

"If he can even get into the competition in the first place! The minute the king sees him, he'll know what Aerrow's up to and throw him out!" said Finn.

"He has a point Stork." Junko admitted.

"That's why Aerrow will disguise himself during the competition!" Stork said impatiently, as though it were obvious, which it kind of was.

Aerrow looked up.

"But wouldn't the king refuse to let me marry Piper if I win and I reveal myself?" he asked.

"Oh no he won't!" the bard cried, almost joyfully. "Because when he agreed with my plan I made him swear on his honor as a king he would accept the winner no matter who it was so long as Piper accepted to take him as her husband!"

Aerrow's eyes widened as he took in the meaning of Stork's words.

"So that means..."

"That you could marry Piper!" Junko exclaimed jubilantly. "Of course she'd accept you as her husband!"

"Yeah!" Finn agreed. "I hate to say it, but Stork actually had a great idea this time!"

"Gee, thanks." the bard muttered sarcastically.

Finn didn't appear to notice. Aerrow still looked unsure.

"Yeah, but these tasks aren't going to be easy. They'll probably be near-impossible." he looked up anxiously at everyone. "What if I lose?" he asked.

Junko's and Finn's happiness decreased somewhat. Radarr's ears drooped. Aerrow was right. The king wasn't going to go easy on the suitors. If Aerrow didn't complete all of the tasks, not only would he lose the competition, but he would lose his one chance at being with Piper. Aerrow heard Stork stand from his chair and looked up. The merb was looking at Aerrow with a determined expression.

"Aerrow," he said, "of course it's not going to be easy. You will have to fight, and fight hard, for Piper's hand. But you would anyway, wouldn't you?"

"Of course," Aerrow nodded.

"Then why are you hesitating? Are you just going to give up? Is that kind of attitude going to help you? Is that what Piper deserves, to be married off to some stranger just because you gave up?"

"No," Aerrow finally said after a time.

He stood, a fierce expression on his face. He wouldn't give up, not when he'd been offered a chance, one that might never come again. He would do anything for Piper, no matter what the king made him do in the competition, he would succeed.


	5. The Competition

For several days afterward, Terra Krystal could talk of nothing more than the competition to come. A series of tasks for the princess's suitors to prove their love for her and win her hand and favor? How could anyone resist gossiping? Atmosians came from all over to witness it. Mr. Moss's inn was full within 3 days of the king's announcement, and everyone else had to stay on the nearest terras. The king had made a list of all of Piper's suitors that were approximately her age, and she chose those that were most appealing, or rather, the least objectionable. In the end, there were to be 12 suitors, all of whom were to compete in 6 tasks to win Piper's hand. After every round, 2 of the suitors would be eliminated, save the last. Piper's father hoped that by that fateful sunset, his daughter would be betrothed and the whole matter of her marriage would be settled.

As for Piper herself, during the week of preparations for the competition, she didn't shut herself in her room and mope about sadly from being parted from Aerrow for what seemed like forever. Instead, she tried to distract herself by helping her father come up with the tasks. Her father had wanted the tasks to impress her, so he'd specifically asked for her opinion when it came to them. Piper knew her father was trying to make up for keeping her away from her best friend and love of her life, and she appreciated that. But it still hurt, knowing that the only time she'd see Aerrow now would be after she was married, and not to him. She tried not to think of it though. Just picturing Aerrow's face made her want to cry. But the princess still tried to be strong, for her father, for her people, for her future husband, for herself...and for Aerrow, though she couldn't see him.

You might also be wondering what Aerrow was doing during this time. Well, he'd decided that it wouldn't be fair to know what the tasks would be in advance. He didn't want to win Piper's hand by trickery, no matter how much Finn tried to convince him otherwise. Instead he trained in whatever skill might be necessary. Finn volunteered to be his coach (to be there for his buddy, he said, though Aerrow was sure the blond secretly wanted to try bossing him around), while Junko was Aerrow's opponent in training. Aerrow would race against the wallop, fight him hand-to-hand, even wrestle, though he was hopeless with the last one. Radarr also helped by staging scavenger hunts for Aerrow, hiding particular objects all over Terra Krystal so Aerrow could find them. When it came to sword-fighting however, everyone, even Stork, participated, all trying to disarm Aerrow while he parried their attacks, first with one arm behind his back, then the other. Aerrow was best at fighting with two swords, however.

After each day of training, Aerrow would fall on his bad exhausted, but would look over at Piper's handkerchief on his nightstand and feel determination shoot through his veins once more. He'd fall asleep thinking of Piper, and indulge himself by fantasizing of the competition. He'd arrive in a gleaming suit of armor, wearing a mask so no one, not even Piper, would recognize him. He'd beat all of the suitors, and when the king would ask him to step up and be crowned the victor, he'd reveal himself. Everyone would be shocked, and Piper would smile at him, tears of joy in her eyes, and...Aerrow always woke up after that bit. But he didn't mind. He would be patient, and savor the moment all the more when it came to fruition.

...

Finally, after a week of preparations and waiting, the day of the competition came. The courtyard had been transformed into a large arena ringed with towering benches so spectators could watch. These benches were crowded with people from Terra Krystal and beyond, all talking and cheering and trying to see. When almost everyone who could possibly fit on the benches had arrived, two musicians attached special crystals to their trumpets so that when they played the royal march, the tune blared over the entire arena. Everyone turned their gazes to a balcony standing high over all of the other benches. The king came forth, followed by the Grand Duke and Piper. The commons cheered and threw confetti in the air for the king and flowers for the princess. Piper's father accepted the applause before he raised his hands and the people quieted enough for him to announce:  
"Terra Krystal! Today, my daughter will choose a suitor! Today, you will have a prince! And now, I present to you, the competitors: Lord Cirrus of Terra Blusteria!"

From the sky, a skimmer flew down and landed smoothly in the arena. Riding it was the young lord Cirrus of Terra Blusteria, one of Piper's suitors. He waved to the crowd as he dismounted his skimmer and bowed graciously to Piper.

"Raven of Terra Rex!"

Another sky ride appeared and landed next to Cirrus's, this one belonging to a rich heir from Terra Rex. Raven also bowed to Piper, but not before he winked flirtatiously at a few maidens in the crowd. Piper rolled her eyes, wishing she hadn't picked this suitor to participate after all. The king continued naming suitors who all flew into the arena in spectacular style. The crowd cheered like mad, hooting and whistling. After 11 suitors had been introduced, it came down to the last one.

"And finally: Lord Adam of Terra Nimbus!"

Piper watched her father calmly as he spoke the last name. She'd never met lord Adam, but she had to admit she was a little excited to meet him. He'd sent her a letter telling her about himself, including that his parents had died when he was a child. She could immediately sympathise with him for that, remembering that her mother had died when she was young. Apart from that though, the letter had showed that he was a cheerful, fun-loving character who would endeavor to make her happy should he be lucky enough to win her favor. In all, he reminded her quite a lot of Aerrow. She looked down into the arena to take a look at him, only to notice that where the lord should've landed by now, there was an empty spot. She frowned, confused. Was he late? The crowd began murmuring and the king glared at his Grand Duke.

"Where is he?" he said between clenched teeth.

The Grand Duke looked utterly helpless.

"I'm sorry, your grace, but it seems that he's-"

Before he could say anything else, though, there was the sound of an approaching sky ride. Everyone's gaze turned to the sky. A skimmer had emerged from the heavens and came soaring down at the terra like a falcon diving after its prey. It pulled out of the dive to circle the arena, then spiraled up and did a few clever loop-the-loops in mid-air. The crowd went wild! They'd obviously found their favorite. Piper was impressed by the rider's superb flying, and clapped with everyone else as the skimmer came to a screeching halt in his spot amid the other suitors. Lord Adam dismounted his skimmer, and Piper noticed that he was dressed more plainly than the other suitors, with only a few pieces of armor as opposed to a full suit. But what struck everyone was that he was wearing a helmet, covering his face.

...

"I'm starting to think this is a bad idea." Junko whispered.

"Well, it's a bit late to question it now, Junko." Finn whispered back, darting a glance over his shoulder at the wallop.

Junko wasn't reassured.

"I know, it's just that kidnapping people is bad." he whispered.

From way, way above them, Aerrow heard the wallop through his communicator.

"Don't think of it as kidnapping, Junko." he said. "It's more like we're borrowing the guy...just without his permission."

A good while earlier, Aerrow, Finn, Junko, Stork and Radarr had gotten up at the crack of dawn to execute their plan to get Aerrow into the competition. The latter was waiting on board a newly-acquired skimmer, waiting for his friends to give him the signal to fly into the arena. He was dressed to play the part of Lord Adam, complete with armor and two short energy blades Stork had gotten him, just in case. Back in the bushes where they were hidden, Junko was still ill at ease.

"I'm still not sure." he murmured. "I mean, what if Piper really has met Lord Adam before? And what if we get caught?"

"We won't get caught." Finn whispered.

"First off, the chances are actually very high that we might get caught." said Stork, earning an eye-roll from Finn. "Secondly, are you doubting my information, Junko? I am positive that Piper and Lord Adam have never met, at least as close as I can get to positive."

Stork's idea was actually quite brilliant. After going through the list of Piper's suitors that were her age, he found Adam, a lord who he knew was rather reclusive and liked to stay close to his terra; the perfect candidate for Aerrow's ticket into the competition. He'd advised including the lord to the king, who suggested it to his daughter. Piper was apprehensive at first, since she had never met Lord Adam, but she sent a letter to him asking if he was interested in her hand in marriage, including a portrait of herself made by the royal painter (on her father's insistence).

The others were a bit worried about that, since if Piper received a letter from Lord Adam telling her what he was like, than Aerrow would really have to act like him, and Aerrow wasn't a great actor. But Stork took care of that by receiving a copy of the letter (thanks to Aerrow's friendship with the royal cook), intercepting Adam's answer (by ambushing the royal post-man) and having Aerrow write a response instead. And so far, the plan had gone along smoothly, so, naturally, Stork was very proud of it. Even so, he couldn't hide his usual pessimism for long.

"Though even if I was positive it would work, there is still the chance that this whole fiasco could blow up in our faces anyway."

Finn glared at their employer.

"Hey, don't you go backing out on us! This whole thing was your idea in the first place!" he whisper-shouted.

"Guys!" Aerrow hissed through the communicator. "I see lord Adam! He's on his way towards your position, so stop arguing and let's focus!"

"Okay, fine, got it," Finn said.

The small band crept through the bushes and peeked up at their target. Lord Adam was flying at a leisurely pace, right where they wanted him. Quickly, Finn got out his wooden crossbow and, with one shot, shot a bolt at the engine. As expected, the ride went down, much to Adam's dismay. He crashed, uttering some rather colorful curse words as he went down, into a bush. When he brushed off the leaves and twigs from his self, he turned, only to be faced with Junko, or, more accurately, Junko's fist.

"Sorry about this." the wallop mumbled apologetically, then whacked him right in the nose, making him topple unconscious into the grass.

Back up in the air, Aerrow waited with bated breath. He was pretty confident in the plan, and he wasn't nearly as nervous about kidnapping, sorry, "borrowing" a nobleman for a time as much as Junko was. But still, if Lord Adam got away from the guys, they'd all be in so much trouble. Just then, he heard Stork shouting in his communicator.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! You're already late! We've got him now, so go!"

"Right!" Aerrow said, pushing down the visor on his helmet and wincing as it clanged shut.

He hated this part of the plan. He wished he could've worn a mask of even a hood to hide himself, but no, it had to be a helmet. A mask wouldn't hide his uniquely red and spiky hair, and a hood would simply blow off in a strong breeze. But Aerrow supposed it was a small price to pay as he gunned the engine and took off, making a bee-line for the arena.

...

"So sorry for my lateness, your grace!" he called out, the helmet making his voice sound slightly deeper than normal. "Terra Krystal's a long ride from my home."

"Yes, of course, thank you for coming." said the king, evidently relieved. "And now, let the competition for my daughter's hand begin!"

From every corner of the arena, rainbow smoker crystals exploded in fireworks of showering colors. The crowd cheered and whooped. From the sides of the arena, squires came rushing out, each one carrying a sword powered by a striker crystal. They approached each of the suitors and handed them the weapons.

"Your first task," the king spoke up once more, drawing every eye to him, "is a test of your skill in combat. You will face each other in a duel, in the manner of sky knights. The victor of each duel will move on to the next task. The two who show the lowest performance will be eliminated."

The crowd cheered, and Aerrow felt worried. Sky knight duels were fought up in the air, on skyrides. He was already very good at swordplay, at least on the ground. Plus, Stork and the others had only managed to buy the skimmer he'd ridden yesterday. He hadn't practiced anything with it other than flying, but from the little time he'd had on it, he figured it wasn't so bad. But doing both simultaneously? That was a challenge he wasn't prepared for. What if he couldn't do it? What if he lost his balance and fell? What if his opponent was better trained in fighting than he was? He wasn't all that strong either; what if that proved to be a disadvantage too?

He looked up and his eyes found Piper. He was fighting for her; he had to remember that. Whatever tasks the king could come with, he would succeed, he told himself that as the first two suitors, Lord Cirrus and Raven, mounted their skyrides and took off. They circled each other, their weapons flashes as they shot blasts of crystal energy. Then, one of the rides rammed into the other, and its rider struck with his sword, disarming the opponent. The sword came hurtling down. Its wielder followed soon after as he was knocked from his ride, but was spared a terrible landing by his parachute. The crowd erupted in noise, the victor's ride landing smoothly. Lord Cirrus waved to the spectators and bowed to the balcony where the royals watched.

"Such childsplay," he said in a boastful voice, "though for you, my princess, even the smallest victory is precious."

Piper fought the urge to roll her eyes. This guy's ego certainly wouldn't earn him any points from her. Yet she glanced at her father, and he slightly nodded at the young lord, indicating she needed to praise him. It was only polite.

"That's very sweet, lord Cirrus," she said, "I'm glad I can allow you to appreciate some of the smaller things in life."

She could see through the corner of her eye her father shaking his head. Cirrus took her lukewarm thanks fairly well; he merely shrugged, bowed once more and walked back to his place as two other suitors mounted their skyrides for the next duel. Aerrow, from his place on the ground, couldn't bring himself to pay attention. He was focused on Piper, a wistful look in his eyes. Though her expression was neutral, there was a hint of sadness too. Had it been there ever since her father and forbidden their relationship? Did she even care about who would win this competition, so long as she might be able to see him after she married? Would it be better for her if he revealed himself, exposing that there was a commoner among the noble suitors? No, he'd be thrown out before he could even complete a single task. Finally, he heard the king call out for lord Adam. It was time.


	6. The Duel

Aerrow mounted his skyride and looked at his opponent, who was seated in a skimmer opposite him. The boy was probably a few months, maybe even a year, younger than him, and pale as the moon. In contrast, his hair was ebony black and his eyes glittered purple like amethysts. He knew, thanks to the royal herald bellowing out the boy's titles, that his name was Thorn and he was the prince of Terra Cyclonia, a vast kingdom that had achieved its success through (how to put this delicately?) unethical means (at best). Aerrow frowned as Thorn blew a kiss in the direction of Piper's balcony, and imagined tossing him off of his skimmer. Gripping the hilt of his sword so tight his knuckles, hidden by his gloves, went white, he gunned the throttle and the two sky rides took off. When they were a certain height above the terra, both opponents leveled their rides. They circled each other slowly, carefully.

"You know, you might as well give up!" Thorn taunted. "I am the best fighter in all of Cyclonia! And you? I bet you've never wielded a sword in your life!"

This struck a nerve since Aerrow hadn't really wielded a sword until recently. But he wasn't about to admit that! At least not to this guy!

"You know, you talk a lot," he said, gripping the hilt of his weapon a bit tighter, "but why don't we see if you can back it up?"

His skimmer shot toward Thorn's. His opponent's eyebrows shot up, then he revved his own engine, ready to slam into Aerrow. If he did, the redhead's skimmer surely wasn't armored enough to take the hit. But who said that's what he was planning? He sharply swerved his ride to the right and swung his sword down at Thorn. The blow might've disarmed the prince had he not dodged in time. Thorn put on the breaks and charged at Aerrow's ride again. Spotting the approaching skimmer out the corner of his eye, Aerrow spun his ride around and flew right over Thorn's head, upside-down! The crowd down below went crazy!

Aerrow grinned. This was too easy! This guy would tire himself out before he could even land a blow on him. But that wasn't the point of the duel, he reminded himself, frowning. It wasn't a game of dodging and avoiding confrontation. If he was going to win this, he'd have to face Thorn head-on. Unfortunately, Thorn seemed to have caught on to his line of thinking.

"Too afraid to face me in a real fight, milord?" he asked, the mocking tone masking his evident anger. "Are you too cowardly to actually fight for the princess's hand?"

Rage flared up at the statement. How dare he call Aerrow a coward! This time it was he who charged. Thorn reciprocated. Both swords went up. Clash! Clang! Clash! They met over and over, blocking and parrying the attacks of the other. Clash! Aerrow's sword connected with Thorn's, but the cyclonian pushed down on it. Aerrow struggled to keep the blade away from his face. This guy was surprisingly strong! Finally, in a surge of determination, Aerrow swung his sword, flinging Thorn aside, and quickly put some distance between them. He was panting, already feeling the exhaustion creeping up on him. Sword fighting in the air was even more difficult than he thought! No wonder the suitors had been given such a task!

"What's the matter, Lord Adam? Getting tired?"

The taunting wasn't helping Aerrow either. He glared at the raven-haired boy, who responded with a smirk.

"Tell you what, since you liked dodging so much, why don't you dodge THIS!"

His sword suddenly glowed bright and shot out a blast of crystal energy right at Aerrow! Instinctively, Aerrow brought his arm up to cover his eyes. Thankfully, he swerved the skimmer so that the blast almost missed him. Almost. It brushed his left hand and his palm burned as though he'd stuck it in lava! Aerrow howled and let go of his sword! It went tumbling down as he clutched his injured hand, landing blade-first in the ground down below. The audience gasped. Lord Adam had been disarmed! He wasn't out yet, but how could he win without a weapon to defend himself?

Aerrow also wondered this, briefly, before remembering the two energy blades Stork had given him before he'd head off that morning, just in case. For a second, he hesitated. Would using his own weapons be considered cheating? Would that disqualify him? The hesitation fled in an instant as Thorn's skyride came screaming towards his, Thorn holding his sword up, ready to bring it down on him! Aerrow grabbed the hilt of one of his blades, activated it and CLASH! Thorn's sword crashed into the seat, where Aerrow had been just a second ago. Thorn pulled his sword out, confused, before Aerrow landed in a crouch on the wing of his skimmer! The boy had leaped out of the way just in time!

"WHAT?!" Thorn cried out. "How did you do that?! And you can't have another sword!"

"Well, I do now!" Aerrow said, twirling the weapon in his hand, before swinging it through the air.

Thorn wasn't quick enough to block it, but the blade hit the skimmer instead (Aerrow, though ambidextrous, slightly favored his left hand over his right, you see), leaving a dent that leaked smoke and sparks of power. Aerrow swung his short sword again and Thorn was disarmed. The cyclonian watched his sword fall, then turned to Aerrow, eyes alight with hatred, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Get off of my skyride!" he ordered, grabbing the handles as if ready to buck Aerrow off.

"If you say so!" Aerrow said, catching sight of his own skyride, which had started to plummet without a rider.

Thorn swung a fist to hit Aerrow, but he jumped off, landing in his own seat. He grabbed the handles and, wincing at his burned left palm, fought to pull them up. The skimmer slowly turned skyward and rose up to thunderous cheers! Thorn watched with contempt before a funny noise drew his attention. He looked at the place Aerrow's blade had struck. The skimmer's wing had been too damaged to keep the ride aloft! Thorn screamed as gravity took over and his ride fell like a bird shot out of the sky! The crowd stopped cheering and rose to their feet, crying out in fear for the suitor. Aerrow saw too, from the safety of his skimmer up in the sky. For a moment, he considered letting Thorn fall. Just for a moment. Though he'd already gained a deep disliking for the cyclonian prince, he didn't exactly want him to die. So he sent his skimmer into a dive, even pulling in the wings to create less drag. Within seconds, he was almost level with Thorn.

"Jump!" he called out.

"What?!" Thorn asked.

"I said jump! I'll catch you!" Aerrow yelled.

"Are you insane?! No way! How dumb do you think I am?!"

"Unless you prefer option B!" Aerrow warned, pointing at the swiftly-approaching, hard, unforgiving ground.

Thorn took one look and screamed again, louder and higher pitched than before, but still sat frozen in his seat! Aerrow was starting to lose his patience with the boy as he might kill them both if he didn't move!

"JUMP!" he yelled again.

Thorn un-froze and, still wailing uncontrollably, jumped, waving his arms and legs around. Aerrow reached out and grabbed one of his flailing limbs (whether arm or leg, he wasn't totally sure) and heaved him out of harm's way. The prince's skyride crashed, the machine falling apart and metal breaking in a great CRUNCH. Meanwhile, Aerrow swerved the ride so it landed (albeit roughly) on its tires and screeched across the sandy arena ground. He fell out of the seat, letting go of Thorn. Sand and dust flared up, blocking everyone's view. The people gasped. Even the royals stood up from their seats in the balcony. Piper peered at the wreckage, trying to make out if the two were alright. Finally, the dust cleared enough for everyone to make out two figures: one of them lying in the sand, the other standing up. Thorn blinked open his eyes to find a glowing bright blue sword pointing at his nose.

"Yield," Aerrow said, his voice made deep and imperious by the helmet.

Thorn didn't really have much choice.

"I yield." he announced.

The spectators let out cheers and hoots in celebration. Their favorite had won the first task! Aerrow sheathed his blade and offered his hand to help Thorn up. The prince scoffed at the gesture and pushed the offered hand aside, standing himself.

"I don't need your help!" he sneered, stalking off.

'Geez,' Aerrow thought. 'He's a sore loser.'

Piper watched this exchange from the balcony, and was impressed. Lord Adam had won, but he was a gracious winner, even trying to help his beaten opponent. She couldn't help but feel happy and relieved he had won, and was therefor guaranteed to continue the competition. Below, Adam turned and looked up at her. She waved to him and he bowed deeply, and although she could still not see his face, she could've sworn he was smiling.


	7. The 2nd Task

“Settle down, now,” the king announced to the still-cheering crowd and at his words, they quieted, though a bit slowly.

He waited until he was sure all of his people were paying attention, then continued:  
"The second task is a test of your courage. There is a phoenix nest twenty clicks north-east from this terra. There, you will find a phoenix crystal, which you will bring back here!"

The crowd let out a collective gasp. Stealing a phoenix crystal from a phoenix: suicide! But the king didn't leave the suitors time to object.

"Now go!" he boomed.

Startled into obedience, they mounted their skyrides and took off, amid cheers of "Good luck!" and a few mutters of "You'll need it."

Within moments, the rides had all disappeared. As the crowd cheered, Stork, Finn, Junko and Radarr scrambled into their seats. They were panting and quite out of breath from running all the way to the arena. They’d just finished dragging the real lord Adam back to Stork’s house and, when he’d woken up, persuaded him to keep quiet and stay there. All of this before realizing they were missing Aerrow’s first task, so they had run to the arena as though their pants had been on fire.

"Hey, what'd we miss?" Finn asked, still breathing heavily, the citizen next to him.

The man turned to him eagerly.

"The suitors just finished dueling, two of them got kicked out and now they're going off for the second task!"

"Yeah, they gotta get a phoenix crystal!" said another man.

Their jaws hit the ground.

"WHAT?!" Stork shrieked, drawing several audience members' gazes towards him. "BUT THEY'LL ALL BE KILLED!"

Then he noticed everyone staring at him and visibly shrunk, blushing in embarrassment (he had stage fright). Next to Finn, the citizen shrugged.

"Well, the tasks are supposed to be nearly impossible, so that whoever completes them really proves he'll be devoted to the princess."

Stork frowned. He didn't need that explained to him. It had been his whole idea in the first place!

"Yeah, but still," Junko said. "I hope that at least Aer-" he caught himself, "Adam will come out alive."

"Oh, so you're rooting for him to marry the princess?" asked the citizen.

"Oh, you bet we are!" Finn said, though his confident tone and smile couldn't completely mask his worry for Aerrow.

It was one thing for the guy to successfully beat a cyclonian prince in combat. It was quite another to take on an angry phoenix. And Aerrow would have no chance at marrying Piper if he was just a pile of ash.

...

The suitors had a definite speed advantage over Aerrow. Their skyrides were new and well-maintained. Aerrow and the others had gotten the one Aerrow rode at a repair garage, meant to be scrapped for parts. They’d been able to restore it to what seemed like its former glory, but it was still a little old, and a little slower than the others’.

‘But at least it doesn’t break down mid-flight.’ Aerrow told himself.

As it turned out, it was probably in Aerrow’s favor that his skimmer was a little slower than the others’, for if he kept up with them, he’d have to face the phoenix a lot sooner than he would’ve liked. In fact, when the peaceful flight was broken by the sounds of a battle close-by, Aerrow was silently thanking the machine for its lack of speed. He broke through the clouds and stared: the phoenix’s nest stood proud and tall on a lone terra, looking very imposing now that Aerrow could see it.

Aerrow could also see the phoenix. And he almost wished he couldn't. The phoenix was terrifying: a huge bird seemingly made entirely of fire! It flew around its nest screaming at the other suitors' skyrides, which looked like flies compared to it in size, and breathing blasts of fire at them.

Aerrow steered his skimmer back to the cover of the clouds and circled the battle, bringing his ride to a stop safely behind the raging fiery bird. It looked, if possible, even bigger up close, and he could practically feel the waves of heat from its feathers. By now, most of the other suitors' rides were smoking and they all turned back, flying full speed back in the direction of Terra Krystal. But the phoenix didn't seem to be done with them, and flapped its great wings and flew after them, roaring in fury. Aerrow saw his opportunity and waited until the bird was out of sight before landing his skimmer on the ledge facing the cavern's opening. He ran inside, but slowed when he heard his footsteps echo off the cave walls.

Slowly, he crept through the dimness of the phoenix's lair. Skulls decorated the stalagmites, souvenirs of unfortunate people foolish enough to try and steal the phoenix's crystal. Aerrow gulped and prayed he wasn't about to join them. Then, he spotted it: the nest. It looked as though a huge pile of stone had been melted down into a vague bird-nest-like shape, and a bright yellow glow emanated from it. He raced towards it and clambered up the side. In the centre of the nest, there lay a crystal the color of fire, with a strange dark coating on the bottom: the phoenix crystal. Aerrow smiled, reached out and took it. He had it. He had it! He had gotten the phoenix crystal! All he needed to do now was get it back to Terra Krystal, and he would've completed the second task!

Suddenly, a roar split the air and practically made the whole cavern shake. Aerrow flinched, teeth on edge, turned and gasped in sheer terror. The phoenix was back! And it was flying right at him, eyes blazing with utter rage! Aerrow bolted, but jumped back at a burst of flame shot by the phoenix! He was trapped, and he knew it. The phoenix had him cornered, backed up again the nest, only seconds separating him from a fiery death.

But as Aerrow waited, the blast of flame never came. He opened his eyes, which he'd closed as he waited, and noticed the phoenix staring not so much at him, but at the crystal in his hands, and suddenly he realised: the phoenix wouldn't dare blast him if he held the crystal. It didn't want to harm the crystal, and so it couldn't risk blasting Aerrow without scorching the crystal too. The crystal was too precious to the phoenix to lose. Aerrow found himself sympathizing with the creature. It was just trying to protect something very important to it, kind of like how he was trying to reunite with Piper. He raised his hands.

"Hey!" he called out to the phoenix. "This is your crystal?"

The phoenix screeched, as though saying "yes".

"Well, I'm going to need it for a little while. Just a little bit."

The phoenix clearly disagreed, letting out a screech that nearly burst Aerrow's eardrums.

"But I'm going to give it back to you!" he yelled above the phoenix's protest. "I just need to take it back to my terra, but then you can have it right back! I swear I won't harm it in any way, but I need it!"

The phoenix still seemed unconvinced. It flapped its wings agitatedly and screeched again.

"Look, I know this crystal is very important to you," Aerrow persisted. "But there's someone back on my terra who's very important to me. And the only way I can get her back is by bringing this crystal, so I have to take it with me, but only for a little while. After that, I'll give it back to you."

The phoenix had gone quiet, as though it were listening to Aerrow's speech and was considering his request. Aerrow felt somewhat hopeful (after all, he hadn't been burned yet) and said:  
"So, do we have a deal?" he asked, forcing himself to smile bravely at the beast.

...

Back on Terra Krystal, the whole of the arena was waiting with baited breath. The suitors had been lucky enough to escape the phoenix with their lives, but Adam was taking an awfully long time. Had he been caught by the phoenix and burnt to a crisp? Was he dead? Stork, Finn and Junko were biting their nails, they were so nervous, and Radarr whined as he stared at the sky.

The royals were anxious too. Had they condemned Adam to death by setting this task? Piper had her fingers crossed in her lap that he'd make it, and the grand duke was dreadfully envisioning himself telling the people of Terra Nimbus their lord was dead.

But then, a sound pierced the heavy silence and everyone let out breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Adam's skyride was flying this way! And sitting in its seat, unburnt and unscathed, was Lord Adam, holding a brightly glowing phoenix crystal! The people went ballistic, jumping in their sears and whooping madly as they applauded. Even the suitors clapped (well, all except Thorn, who looked thoroughly disappointed) for Adam as he came in for a smooth landing. He dismounted and held up the phoenix crystal for all to see.

"Your majesties," he said, "here is the phoenix crystal, as you asked."

Piper clapped wildly and the king nodded, approving and very impressed.

"Well done, Adam." he said. "Not many Atmosians can lay claim to successfully stealing one."

"Oh, but, I didn't steal it." said the young lord. "I just borrowed it."

A piercing shriek rang out over the terra. The people looked up and screamed. The phoenix had come and was hovering over them! But Adam (I mean Aerrow) just calmly smiled up at it, as though greeting an old friend. The phoenix flapped its wings and swooped down, causing the suitors to scramble away to the edges of the arena! Once it was low enough, Aerrow threw up the crystal, which the phoenix caught in its talons. It let out one last screech and flew off, disappearing in the clouds above.

"I promised the phoenix I would give back its crystal once I brought it here." Aerrow explained to the now quiet arena. "You said the task was to bring the phoenix crystal, not to give it to you, so I'm not breaking any rules here."

Everyone stared in blank amazement. Then, someone started clapping. Then another, and another, and soon the whole arena were applauding. Piper smiled at the king.

"He's right, you know, father." she said.

"Yes, I know that." the king nodded, then spoke loudly: "You've done well, Lord Adam! And as the only one to bring the phoenix crystal, you are the winner of this task!"

Aerrow bowed.

"Thank you, your grace."

The king smiled, then looked at the other suitors.

"As for you all," he started, "Raven and Thorn, you are eliminated,"

Raven hung his head, but accepted the verdict graciously. Thorn was in no way gracious.

“You can’t eliminate me!” he shrieked. “I am the prince of Cyclonia! I’m-”

“I know all of your titles, prince Thorn, but here on Terra Krystal, I am the king and my word is final! Now please, return to Cyclonia, or would you rather I fetch my guards to escort you?”

Thorn fumed under the giggles and snickers of the crowd. Then, having realised there was no winning this argument; he stalked to his ride and glared daggers at the king.

“You will regret this!” he said, then took off.

Aerrow smirked as he watched him leave. Good riddance to that kid.


	8. The Gift

Hours later, the sun was just starting its descent to rejoin the horizon. Far from feeling sleepy, though, the whole arena was restless. The third task had already been completed; a race through the perilous storms around Polaris Pointe, and Lord Adam had once again triumphed. Many in the audience felt that his victory was all but certain now, and openly discussed how he might make a good prince and, later, a good king. Others however, were still skeptical. Terra Nimbus wasn't known for its wealth and status, so Adam's rise as the likely winner might drop dead in this fourth task.

The suitors had just left Krystal again for said fourth task: by nightfall, each suitor was to present the princess a gift which would represent just how great his love for her was. How could a simple lord, one from a terra that wasn't wealthy, powerful or greatly renowned, compete with princes and other noblemen from such great terras? Those in favor of Adam scoffed. He had won every single task so far! He could win this one too!

...

Aerrow wasn't feeling nearly as confident as his supporters. Sky duelling, phoenixes and storms were one thing. But to try and find a gift for a princess that would outdo everyone else's was a whole new level of anxious, nail-biting, god-he-wished-he-could-take-this-helmet-off-before-he-cooked, nerves.

Aerrow squeezed the handlebars of his skimmer, looking around through the raised visor as though the perfect gift would miraculously appear. But it seemed the universe had run out of magically-appearing gifts and fairy-godmothers for the day. Around him, there was nothing but a few small terras, most of them too small to show up on a map. Well, he might not find the perfect gift, but at least he could rest his skimmer for a while. He glanced at the terra to his right, a small piece of land with a huge willow tree at its center, and decided on that one.

Upon landing, the visor fell before his eyes, clanking shut. He pushed it back up, as he'd done every five freakin' minutes, and grumbled. But it just fell back down. Aargh! This helmet was driving him crazy! He couldn't think of anything with it on! He wrenched it off, tossed it to the ground and kicked it aside. Phew! That was satisfying!

He sat down, wiped the sweat from his forehead and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Now that he could finally see clearly, he noticed the sun had sunken a bit lower. He was running out of time!

'Okay, less panicking, more thinking. Use your head Aerrow!' Aerrow thought. 'How much do you love Piper?'

More than he could describe. Over the years, he'd grown more enamoured with her with each passing day. She was something special. Sure, there were plenty of girls in Atmos, but she was a rare gem. Aerrow could never find anyone like Piper, not if he looked for a million years. He sighed. But what could show that? What gift could be as rare and precious as Piper?

He sighed and unsheathed his short swords, not for any particular reason, he just wanted something to look at other than the darkening sky, which reminded him that was running out of time. He turned the weapons over in his hands, and watched the way the fading sunlight played across the blade. When the light hit the small blue crystals at the end, it made them sparkle so beautifully he just watched it for a moment. They looked like ground up stars made into a crystal. Blue striker crystals were certainly very pretty. It was a shame they were so hard to find.

Aerrow started. Hard to find? Yes, blue striker crystals were some of the rarest in Atmos. They were rare and beautiful and precious, just like Piper! He scrambled to his feet and dashed for his skimmer, picking up his helmet along the way. He finally had it! He was going to get the rarest, most precious, most beautiful blue striker crystal he could find!

...

Aerrow wiped the sweat from his forehead for the...what was it? Twentieth time? Hundredth? He'd stop counting a long time ago. Picking up the crystal again, he held his sword to its side and carefully scraped off the tiniest bit, so the stone now had the shape of a diamond. It had been close to that shape anyway, just a little too big on one side.

Now satisfied with his handiwork, he put down the blade and picked up the needle he'd bought, along with a thick black string, and pierced the top of the crystal. He dug a little hole through, just big enough for the string, and threaded it through. He then stood and held up the necklace to the fading sun. It glimmered and sparkled so brilliantly, it almost blinded him. It was simple, not as ornate as Piper's other jewels, but other that, it was perfect. He smiled at it. She would love it! He looked over his shoulder. The sun was almost down! He'd better step on it! Putting the necklace safely in his pocket, he grabbed his sword and needle and mounted his skimmer. It took off quickly and he was already speeding back to Terra Krystal.

He arrived along with the other suitors, just as the sun had started to disappear. Piper, her father and the Grand Duke had come down from their balcony and stood on a podium near the center of the arena. When all six suitors were before them, the king waved to silence the spectators.

“I see you’ve all brought your gifts.” he said to the suitors. “Each of you, come forth and present your gift to my daughter. Lord Boris, let’s start with yours.”

Lord Boris walked over to the podium, a smug look of assured victory on his face. Aerrow didn’t know much about him, just that he was from Terra Tranqua. The man snapped his fingers and two burly servants pushed a huge object forward. It was covered by a large white drape.

“This sculpture was crafted by the best sculptors on my terra.” he said. “I’m sure you’ll find it very impressive.”

With a flourish, he pulled the drape off. The whole arena let out choked gasps. The statue was...there’s no other way to put this, hideously obscene. It didn’t even look nice anyway. In fact, it was so bad, that the author couldn’t even bring herself to describe it; you’ll just have to use your imaginations. Just picture if Picasso had made a pornographic image that was abstract, very hard to comprehend and just unpleasant to look at, and you’ll see what I mean.

Piper coughed nervously.

“Lord Boris, I hate to sound rude, but what in Atmos is THAT?!?!”

She gestured to the “stature”. Beside her, the king’s eyes were bugging out and the Grand Duke beside him looked as though he were fighting not to be sick.

“It’s an artistic rendering of my love for you, princess.” Boris said smugly.

“Grand Duke,” the king asked, “is that a-”

“Yes, I’m afraid it is, your majesty.”

Lord Boris smiled eagerly up at the king.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

Aerrow couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the guy as the king looked like a thundercloud about to explode.

“Artistic rendering, my royal foot!” he said. “Send it back! Send it back now! You’re disqualified!”

Boris visibly drooped, then plodded over to his skimmer. His unfortunate servants heaved the statue onto the shoulders to their own skyrides, and the small party left.

The other suitors presented their own gifts: a golden ring stolen from Terra Vapos, a skimmer made entirely of precious metals such as silver and bronze (though Aerrow suspected the thing wouldn’t be able to get off the ground), a dress made from the skin of a magma beast (to which everyone was faintly disgusted) and a poem that Lord Falcon had written to describe his love for the princess. The poem was, he explained, over 300 verses long, but thankfully the royals stopped him before he could read it. Finally, Piper turned to Aerrow.

"And what is your gift, Lord Adam?" she asked.

He stepped up to the podium, taking the necklace out of his pocket.

"Glad you asked, princess." he said and held out his hand.

The bright blue crystal rested in the middle of his palm, so small and delicate, yet Piper stared at it in rapture. The king looked dubiously over his daughter's shoulder at it.

"Is that a necklace?" he asked.

Beside him, the Grand Duke made a derisive snort.

"Barely; that little shard is so plain! It's barely the size of one's hand!"

But Piper ignored the duke, explaining to her father:  
"It's a blue striker crystal, father. They're one of the rarest crystals in the Atmos!"

She looked at Aerrow in amazement.

"How did you manage to find it?" she asked.

He smiled, though she couldn't see because of the damnable visor.

"I'm not totally sure myself, princess." he chuckled.

Piper traced a reverent finger along the edge of the crystal.

"May I?"

Aerrow's voice was soft. Piper nodded and dipped her head so he could tie the string around her neck. The bright blue stone glimmered brilliantly against Piper's dark skin, the sunlight catching so it sparkled, as before, like thousands of stars.

"Thank you," Piper breathed.

The king nodded approvingly at the gift.

"That’s a lovely gift, Lord Adam." he said in a warm tone, “very nice. And very tasteful, unlike others I could mention.” he added, muttering.

Aerrow bowed his head and stepped back into line with the other suitors, who stared at him with jaws open in astonishment. How did he do it? How did this guy keep winning every task thrown at him? They didn’t have much time to wonder, because the king was speaking again. He said that the last two tasks would be held the next day, and invited the suitors to stay in the castle for the night. Aerrow said that he would stay in an inn nearby, he didn’t want to impose. The king then dismissed his people and stepped down from the podium to enter the castle, the Grand Duke, the suitors and Piper following him.

Piper looked back at him and smiled before disappearing with her father in the palace. Aerrow watched her go, a stupid grin on his face. He couldn't believe it: he was one of the last suitors, and he was going to participate in the last two tasks! He had to tell the others all about it! He ran to the arena's exit, ducking behind the stable so he could get out of his armour. Before he could, though, he collided with a solid wall of flesh and fell to the ground! He looked up.

"Aerrow! You did it!" Junko cried, picking him up and crushing him in a bone-shattering hug.

"Easy, Junko, let the guy breathe!" Finn laughed.

Radarr tackled Aerrow just as Junko let him go, chirping and squawking happily in greeting. Finn pulled off Aerrow's helmet and ruffled his hair.

"You lucky son of a gun! I can't believe you managed all those tasks!"

"Yeah, I find it a bit hard to believe myself." Aerrow said, sitting on a stool Junko pulled out and removing the pieces of his armor.

Once he was done, he stood up again.

“Go back to Stork’s place; I’ll follow in a little while.”

“Where’re you going?” Junko asked.

“I’m going to see Piper.”

Radarr raised a quizzical eyebrow. Finn and Junko exchanged an uncertain look.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“What do you mean?” Aerrow asked.

“Well,” Finn explained, “won’t seeing you remind her that she’s supposed to marry someone else?”

“But if I win, she’ll marry me!” Aerrow pointed out.

“But she doesn’t know that.” Finn added.

He was right, Aerrow realized. Piper had no idea what he was doing, no idea that this whole competition was a bit of a scheme so that they could marry. Sure, everything would work out in the end, if he won, but would it be wise to see Piper now? It might upset her, and he didn’t want that. But still, he wanted to see her again, not as Adam, but as himself.

“Well, maybe it’s not a good idea,” Aerrow admitted.

“But you’re still gonna see her, aren’t you?” Finn guessed.

Aerrow nodded, gave Radarr an affectionate scratch behind his ear, and left the stable. Finn sighed as he watched their friend go.

“Sometimes, I wonder why I bother.” he said.

Junko looked at him, confused.

“But you don’t bother most of the time.” he said.

Finn rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead.

…

Aerrow made his way carefully and quietly around the castle. The windows were lit, and practically no guards. He made it to Piper’s tower, and saw the swing. It was lowered, but not all the way to the ground. He stepped back about ten paces, then ran and jumped. He managed to catch it and pulled himself up onto it. The swing creaked a bit. Aerrow froze, but no one appeared to chase him off. Letting out his breath, the boy pulled on the ropes and lifted the swing up. Within a minute, he’d reached Piper’s balcony and clambered over the edge. Piper was in her room, standing at her vanity and staring fondly down at something in her hand.

“Hey,” Aerrow whispered.

Piper, startled, whirled to face him.

“Aerrow!” she exclaimed, running to him. “How did you get up here?”

“I used the swing.” Aerrow’s arms went around Piper’s waist as her hands rested on his shoulders. “Didn’t you hear me?”

Piper blinked and laughed self-consciously.

“I guess I was pretty distracted.” she said.

Aerrow smiled, then noticed something: Piper was still wearing the necklace he’d given her. It faintly glowed in the moonlight. It looked so beautiful on her. Piper realized what Aerrow was looking at and blushed.

“Oh…that’s…”

She held the necklace, as though trying to hide it. Aerrow gently put his hand on hers. Slowly, her fingers opened like a blooming flower and her hand fell to her side.

“It’s the necklace Lord Adam gave you.” he said.

He had said it softly, almost in wonder, but Piper flinched as though it were a harsh blow.

“What’s wrong?” Aerrow asked.

Piper said nothing. She looked down and shame colored her once bright eyes.

“Aerrow, I…this…this doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Lord Adam,” Piper said despairingly.

The words hit Aerrow like a small thunderbolt.

“Oh,” was all he could say.

He started to think that maybe he shouldn’t’ve come. Finn had been right (by some chance in a million); this wasn’t a good idea.

“Aerrow, I like him.” Piper finally blurted.

Aerrow blinked, having been too lost in his train of thought to fully listen, but Piper continued:  
“I’m really starting to like Adam. But…”

She trailed off, stepping away from Aerrow and looking to the ground. Aerrow put a hand on her shoulder.

“But what?”

She looked up at him.

“But he’s not you.” she said. “I have to remind myself that he’s not you. I don’t love him, Aerrow, not like how I love you.”

She blushed and looked away again. Aerrow could only stare at her. Oh the irony; Piper was trying to convince that Adam and Aerrow were separate, when the truth was he was Adam, at least the Adam she’d seen (he didn’t know what the guys had done to the real Adam).

“But…do you want him to win the last tasks?” he asked.

Piper hesitated, and finally nodded, as though admitting a great fault. Aerrow couldn’t hide the smile that was slowly spreading over his face, though Piper didn’t notice. Aerrow finally stamped down the grin. Now wasn’t the time, it wouldn’t be wise to reveal the whole plan Piper now, when she was in obvious distress. He was about to say something when she spoke:  
“Aerrow, I’m sorry, I-”

But Aerrow wouldn’t have any of that. He wouldn’t Piper apologize for something that did no harm.

“Piper, it’s okay.” he said.

“No, it’s not. You’re just saying that-”

“Piper,” Aerrow took her hands, “if you marry him and he makes you happy, I’m alright with it. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving you.”

She finally smiled at him.

“And I won’t ever stop loving you.” she promised.

They share a kiss; long and sweet and full of promise. Aerrow’s mouth lingered on hers until he finally managed to convince his body to move. With a whispered goodbye, they pulled on the ropes to lower Aerrow safely to the ground on the swing, and Piper watched him disappear into the night.


	9. The "Before Final" Task

The next day, as the suitors prepared for their before-final task, mounting their skyrides or doing some last-minute checks on their weapons and armor, the royals watched in nervous anticipation. Piper, in particular, was nervous. Nervous about Adam dying in this task, nervous about him surviving, nervous about him winning the whole competition and what that would entail, nervous about the lives of all four suitors, nervous about everything! She held the necklace Adam had given her yesterday in hopes of comfort, but none came.

"Father, are you sure about this task?" Piper finally asked her father.

He turned to her, eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"I mean," Piper continued, "the great expanse is so dangerous! No one has ever returned from there! No one! This is a suicide mission!"

The king put a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Stealing the phoenix crystal was also considered suicide," he said calmly, "and the suitors all returned unharmed."

Piper raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her father.

"Alright, most of them were pretty badly burned," he admitted. "But none of them died. They'll return from this just as they returned from all the other tasks."

Though, to be perfectly honest, the king wasn't at all sure they would. As the four last suitors mounted their rides and took off to thunderous cheers, he bid them good luck, all the while thinking, yet not daring to say aloud:   
"You'll need it."

...

"This is madness!" one of the suitors wailed. "The king can't honestly expect us to do this! It's impossible! No one ever returns from the great expanse alive! I tell you, it's impossible!"

"People said that stealing a phoenix crystal was impossible," Cirrus of Terra Blusteria cut in, breaking off the young man's nervous ranting, "and Adam here managed it." He indicated Aerrow, flying next to him. "Speaking of which," he turned to Aerrow, "how did you, out of all of us, get that crystal without being charred by that bird?"

Aerrow was hesitant to tell Cirrus, after all, it sounded pretty far-fetched to say that he'd talked with the creature.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." he finally settled with that.

Cirrus laughed uproariously.

"No, I probably wouldn't. But I dare say that if you can pull that off, you'll be able to survive this task too.

Aerrow smiled. Hearing that someone had confidence in him was doing wonders for his moral. Cirrus seemed very confident as well. He had during the entire competition, even as his gift of a magma-beast-skin-dress had been rejected by the royals. Defeat didn’t seem to be part of his vocabulary.

The air was getting colder. It was faint, but enough for Aerrow to notice. Strange, the sun had shining rather brightly today, hadn’t it? Wait, where had all those clouds come from? He looked around. They were surrounded by a blueish-grey fog, and the surrounding landscape had suddenly become quite eerie. The familiar terras were replaced with mountains that twisted up into points, like great stalagmites, and craters that glowed with a haunting light. All around them, the strange terrain continued on endlessly, a vast expanse devoid of life. Aerrow gulped.

"I guess we'll find out." he said.

Cirrus looked around and gasped.

"Oh sweet terras!"

They had entered the great expanse.

“This place is even bleaker than the stories describe!” Cirrus said.

Aerrow agreed, though he’d never personally read any stories of the great expanse, but he could imagine they had said it was pretty bleak. He couldn’t bring himself to speak the words though. The expanse had such a quenching aura of dread that it left one speechless, afraid of being overheard by something that could and would do you harm. To say that it was creepy was a dreadful understatement.

"Hold on," Cirrus finally broke the dreadful silence. "Where're the others?"

Aerrow looked around. Wait, where were the remaining suitors? Hadn’t they been there a moment ago? There was no sign of them now.

"We must've gotten separated." he said. "Either that, or we're lost."

Either possibility seemed very likely. Then again, there was no way of knowing where you were going in the great expanse, nothing to guide you, and so being lost was pretty much guaranteed.

"Well, we should press on." Cirrus said, still sounding strangely confident under the circumstances. "We're not going to turn back like cowards. Our task is to return after noon, so we'll stay here 'til noon and not a minute sooner!"

...

Despite his bold declaration before, after only an hour, Cirrus seemed quite ready to turn back. He and Aerrow had already narrowly avoided a fast-moving whirlwind, not to mention dodged a lot of flying debris, probably pieces from less-fortunate ships that had crashed here. The mountaintops were littered with the carcasses of carrier ships and skimmers alike, and dotted with what Aerrow dreadfully suspected were corpses of the pilots. The silence here was deafening. It made Aerrow think they were being watched.

"I don't like this place." Cirrus said. "It's too quiet, like we're being hunted."

Aerrow couldn't've put it into better words. As he nodded with agreement, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

'Oh no, please don't let that be,'

"Didn't we pass that same mountain a few minutes ago?" he asked, though he was dreading the answer.

Cirrus looked at the mountain and slammed a fist on the dashboard of his skimmer.

"Blast! We're going in circles!"

"We've gotta get out of here!" Aerrow said, determination preventing his voice from shaking.

Cirrus looked dubiously at him.

“But, the task-?”

“Never mind the task! There won’t be a task for us to complete if we’re dead!”

Aerrow revved his skimmer’s engine and started in the opposite direction in which they’d been flying. Perhaps if they just kept going straight and focused on what they were doing so they wouldn’t be distracted, maybe they could-

Aerrow realized he was alone. Cirrus hadn’t followed him! He turned and there was Cirrus. He hadn’t moved an inch, and staring out into empty space. Aerrow growled in frustration and turned back.

“Cirrus, come on! We gotta go!”

Cirrus still didn’t move. Aerrow was fighting the urge to punch the guy. Why wasn’t he moving?!

“Cirrus! What’s the matter with you?!”

“It’s beautiful…” Cirrus muttered, so quietly Aerrow almost didn’t hear him.

“What?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

“Over there,” Cirrus said, pointing at something Aerrow couldn’t see. “The sunlight, shining off of those clouds. Off the armor of the sly knights, ready for battle. The soldiers raising their weapons to arms. Such a glorious battle! I must join them!”

Cirrus’s words painted a pretty picture, but Aerrow couldn’t see what he saw. Suddenly he remembered something Stork had told him about. It must’ve been as a bedtime story to try and scare him, Finn and Junko into having nightmares; he’d talked about beings that supposedly lived in the great expanse, and could create illusions to lure pilots to their doom. These illusions would represent a person’s deepest, greatest desires, and the beings that made them were called…Sky Sirens, yes! Cirrus was seeing an illusion, which meant that a sky siren was probably very close! Now they REALLY had to get out of here!

“Cirrus!” Aerrow shouted, in vain. “There’s nothing there! It’s an illusion!”

He reached over and grabbed Cirrus’s arm, but he whirled around to face Aerrow with anger blazing in his eyes!

“You won’t deprive me of my victory!” he roared, drawing his sword!

Aerrow withdrew his hand and pulled ride away before Cirrus could slice him up! Then Cirrus charged his blade and shot a blast, which Aerrow only just managed to dodge. But the sharp move made the skimmer start to spin wildly, making Aerrow feel very dizzy! Cirrus turned back to his imaginary battle, uttered a war-cry and charged. Having finally fought off the dizziness, Aerrow saw him charge into the mist and cried out:  
“Cirrus! Wh-Wh-Whoa!”

A gust of wind strong as a mountain nearly blew Aerrow out of his seat! He glanced around, terrified, as a great storm was rapidly approaching! Gunning the throttle, Aerrow tried to escape, but the storm was sucking him in! He couldn’t fight it! The skimmer was pulled into the tornado like a fly into a frog’s mouth! Aerrow tried to hold on to the handlebars, but the wind had lifted him out of his seat, and now he was holding on by just one hand! Aerrow held on as best he could, but his grip was slipping and finally failed! He was flung about like a leaf in the wind, spinning and spiraling through the air, completely helpless! The world was a mess of blue wind and howling noise and-

BAM!

Aerrow had been flung against a mountain, and he cried out in pain. There might’ve been a snap that was probably one of his ribs. Maybe two. But the crash was a blessing in disguise. He held tight to it, anchoring himself to the rock. It offered a better grip with its nooks and crannies than the handlebars.

Aerrow’s relief was short-lived, for as he looked up, a strange figure appeared in the midst of the storm and floated down to his level. It was a woman, but a ghastly woman with sickly green-blue skin, blank white eyes, fingernails so long they could be claws and a wicked smile that displayed her sharp fangs. The sky siren grinned wickedly at Aerrow, who glared back at her. He wanted to unsheathe his blade and blast her, but his grip was precarious enough as it was. The siren seemed to be amused by this. She raised her hands and a bright purple light flashed from her. Aerrow was nearly blinded and had to close his eyes.

“Aerrow?”

His eyes shot open. That was Piper’s voice. He looked up. She was there, glowing like the summer sun, sitting at the very top of the mountain just a few feet from him. She was smiling, and looked so beautiful, so amazing and everything he could ever want. Piper reached out her hand to him.

“Come to me, Aerrow.” she said. “Come, and we can be together. We can marry and rule Terra Krystal together. Or run away and live free and take whatever Atmos has to offer. Anything you want.”

Aerrow wanted so badly to take her hand, to pull himself up to her, to let go and be with her. It sounded wonderful; perfect; almost too good to be true. He reached out with a hand, but couldn’t reach. Her radiant smile was so warm, and she said, her voice barely above a whisper:  
“Yes, let go, Aerrow, and be with me.”

Let go and be with her. It was what he wanted, more than anything. Let go and be with Piper. Let go and be with her. Let go…

Aerrow forced his hand to stop. This wasn’t right. Piper wouldn’t say stuff like that, not in his wildest dreams. He looked at her, and his eyes seemed unclouded. Her smile was transparent, and before his eyes seemed to shift to a fanged smirk. This wasn’t Piper, there was no way in a million years it could ever be! The sky siren was trying to trick him, but it wouldn’t work! He withdrew his hand and turned his gaze away, closing his eyes so as not to look at the impersonation.

“Aerrow, look at me.”

The false Piper’s voice was hard, hissing near the end.

“No way.” Aerrow said.

“Let go, Aerrow! Let go!” the voice of Piper was distorted, and didn’t sound anything like her at all.

The siren’s spell had worn off, and it was roaring its rage at Aerrow, but Aerrow couldn’t care less. Below him, still being blown about by the wind, was his skimmer! If he jumped at just the right time, he might be able to catch it! But he had to time it right. 3…2…1…  
He let go of the mountain, just as the sirens swiped her claws at the place he’d been. The wind howled deafeningly, and the siren shrieked with fury, but Aerrow ignored the noises. He reached out, and caught the handlebars! Pulling himself into the seat, he waited for the right time and, just as the storm swung him around, he turned on the engines! The wind sling-shot the skimmer out of its grip and Aerrow whooped for joy! He’d done it! He’d escaped the sky siren!

But he’d have to cut the celebrating short. After all, he had to find Cirrus and, hopefully, the other two suitors as well. Being careful to avoid the storm he’d just escaped from, he flew off in search of the lord from Terra Blusteria.

In a few minutes, he found Cirrus, flying his skimmer in the direction of another tornado! Quick as lightning, Aerrow swooped down and grabbed one of the handlebars on Cirrus’s ride, pulling it with him as he made a sharp turn and flew the two away from danger!

“What are you doing?!” Cirrus bellowed. “Fiend! You wish to steal my glory, you-”

Aerrow had had quite enough at this point and whacked Cirrus good and hard upside the head.

“Snap out of it, Cirrus!” he yelled for good measure.

And it seemed Cirrus did indeed snap out of his trance. He blinked open his eyes and looked at Aerrow, a blank expression growing to confusion.

“Adam? How…what happen? I remembered seeing something-”

“It was just an illusion.” Aerrow explained. “The sky siren got to you, but it’s okay now.”

Cirrus accepted the news, though looked a bit embarrassed, probably for having been fooled.

“Just another question: how did you wake me up?”

Aerrow winced.

“I, uh, kinda had to hit you.”

Cirrus stared, and then laughed.

“If there’s one thing I respect,” he said amidst chuckles, “it’s when a man gives his fellow a good whack when he needs it!

Aerrow grinned at Cirrus, who was still laughing. When he finally caught his breath, he added:  
“I knew you’d survive this place. I just knew it. But you look like you’ve had a rough time when I was in dreamland. Your helmet’s off kilter.”

Aerrow blinked.

“My helmet?”

He reached up for it, accidentally knocking it off!

“Aack!”

He grabbed it before it could fall out of his reach and stuffed it back on, slamming down the visor. Cirrus chuckled.

“I don’t see why you’re wearing that thing. I mean, I’m a fairly good-looking guy, but I bet the princess would’ve cancelled this whole competition and accept you as a husband like a shot if she got a look at your face.”

Little did Cirrus know was just how sound and true his bet was.

…

The entirety of Terra Krystal waited with baited breath. It was way past noon, and the suitors still hadn’t come back yet. Piper was clutching her necklace tightly, staring at the sky as though willing the skimmers to appear. Her father was no better, clenching his teeth so tightly one could almost hear them grinding. The Grand Duke was even worse. He was desperately wringing his hands, and had pulled his grey hair out of its neat ponytail so it stuck up at odd angles, and the Duke’s coat was now stained with nervous sweat.

In the benches, Aerrow’s friends were in the same state of frenzied nervousness and dread as the Grand Duke, though for much different reasons. Aerrow was their friend for years, and he was now in one of the most dangerous places in Atmos, and what with the storms, unreliability of its landscape and the sky sirens, it would take nothing less of a miracle for him to survive its perils. Junko had already chewed his nails to stubs, and so Finn had given him a piece of toffee to keep his jaws occupied. Finn also held Radarr, who was staring glumly at the sky, whimpering. As for Stork, he seemed just about ready to have a heart attack. Suddenly, a voice cried out:  
“Look!” (As though they hadn’t been doing so already)

Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, and I do mean everyone, and then they bolted to their feet as two small, small shapes appeared out of the clouds. As they approached, the whole terra, it seemed, exploded with cheers and sighs of relief (and a few loud smacks as a couple of people fainted). It was the skyrides! The suitors had returned!

As Aerrow landed his skimmer, the suitor who had ridden with him clambered off. He looked a bit pale, but Aerrow guessed he still hadn’t recovered from nearly dying in a storm back in the expanse. It had been a pretty close call, and he might’ve ended up much as a bug squashed on a windshield if Aerrow hadn’t pulled him on just before he crashed into a mountain.

It had taken hours to find the suitors and hours more to get back, especially since Aerrow’s skimmer had broken down about halfway through the journey. They’d stopped on a terra before Aerrow’s ride failed entirely, and found that the engine had been damaged when Cirrus had tried blasting him with his sword. It seemed Aerrow hadn’t managed to dodge it entirely.

“Sorry for the lateness, your highnesses,” Aerrow called up to Piper and her father, “but my skimmer needed repairing. It took some damage in the great expanse.”

He could see Piper letting out a sigh of relief and a rush of warm happiness filled him. Seeing her, the real her and not some cheap copy by a sky siren, made the whole journey to great expanse, and the one or two cracked ribs which were still quite painful, all worth it. Her father also looked beyond relieved at their return.

“And what happened to the other two skimmers?” he asked, noting the ride-less suitors sitting behind Aerrow and Cirrus.

“They crashed, your highness,” said one of them, “and beyond repair. We would be stranded if Lord Cirrus and Lord Adam hadn’t found us.”

The king nodded.

“You were all very brave to face the dangers of the great expanse. And I was a fool for sending you to such a dangerous place just to impress my daughter.”

Piper sent him a small frown. She hadn’t needed impressing. Adam’s necklace and similarities to Aerrow were enough to convince her that, of all the suitors, he was one she could feasibly see herself marry. If he ever took off his helmet, that is. She wondered again why he had never removed it. Her father was still talking.

“Cirrus and Adam, you’ve clearly proven yourselves as worthy princes. You win this task.”

The crowd cheered. Cirrus basked in the attention, waving to the spectators, but Aerrow just smiled up at Radarr, Junko, Finn and Stork. They were cheering loudest of all, jumping and dancing on top of their seats and making quite a scene. The other two suitors dismounted Cirrus’s and Aerrow’s skimmers, and some of the king’s guards came forward to accompany them to two other skyrides.

“You will be escorted back to your terras.” the king said to them once the crowd had marginally quieted. “It’s the least you deserve for your trouble. And now,” he spoke again, “the final task for-”

“Wait your highness!”

Everyone looked down at Cirrus. Aerrow stared at him shocked as he dismounted from his ride (Aerrow hadn’t yet done so from his, his ribs were singing a high-pitched aria of pain).

“You won’t need a final task, because I forfeit from the competition!”

A simultaneous gasp arose from the audience.

“What do you mean, you forfeit?” Piper asked, standing from her chair in the balcony.  
Cirrus looked up at her.

“Princess, I admit that when we were in the Great Expanse, I fell victim to a sky siren. It tempted me with an image of what I wanted most, and I’m afraid it wasn’t marriage. And I’m also afraid I wasn’t strong enough to pull away from it. In fact, I would be a dead man if it weren’t for Lord Adam.” he gestured to Aerrow. “He saved my life, so if anyone in this arena is worthy of your hand, it’s him.”

Aerrow was a little shocked how Cirrus was talking him up like this, and touched. He was giving up his chance, though a slim one, of marrying, in Aerrow’s eyes, the most wonderful princess in all of Atmos.

“I don’t know what to say.” Piper said, and she didn’t.

She looked over at Aerrow, and he felt suddenly self-conscious with his helmet on.

“No need, your highness.” said Cirrus.

He started making his way back to his skimmer, but Aerrow stopped him.

"Why did you do that?" Aerrow asked.

Cirrus put a hand on his shoulder.

"I owed you for pulling me out of that storm. And like I said, if anyone in here is worthy of that princess, it's you."

"Thank you," Aerrow said.

Cirrus smiled and headed back to his skimmer. As he took off, Aerrow saw Piper and her father approaching. He kneeled as Piper drew level with him.

"Princess," he said, his tone soft and reverent.

But as he stood, white-hot pain flashed through his ribcage. He winced and put a hand to his injury. Piper gasped.

"You're hurt!" she said, sounding deeply concerned.

"I'm fine." Aerrow tried to say, but his ribs protested. "Just a broken rib."

"You need to be healed!" Piper said, looking from the wound to his visor-covered face.

In that look, she was able to see his eyes through the slit of his visor, a beautiful shade of green despite the obvious pain in them...wait...she thought she knew those eyes-

"Piper is right, we'll get you inside soon, but I'm afraid first we must make a final announcement."

Aerrow nodded, he could handle it, he was sure. The king turned him around so that he faced the audience and held up his arm triumphantly.

"My daughter's fiancé and your future prince: Lord Adam of Terra Nimbus!"

The crowd cheered and clapped, and Aerrow was grateful for the king letting his arm down. They ushered him into the palace, Piper helping him lean a little on her. As her future husband, she felt it was the least she could do. After all, she'd do the same, and much more, if it was Aerrow who was this hurt.


	10. Crow's Challenge

The next day should've been a great one. Aerrow’s ribs were almost completely healed, he’d survived a bunch of dangers and adventures, and he was now engaged to the girl he loved. Everything seemed right in Atmos. With one exception: Aerrow couldn’t find Piper anywhere.

They had taken him directly to the doctor yesterday, who’d made him lie down and rest while a nil crystal worked at his ribs. Amazingly, the doctor hadn’t asked Aerrow to remove his helmet. But now that he was on the mend, Aerrow was determined to find Piper and reveal himself so he could explain everything. But Piper had seemingly disappeared. Aerrow had run all over the castle at least twice, stopping to ask anyone if they’d seen the princess. By midday, Aerrow was sure Piper was hiding from him, or at least trying to avoid him.

He finally stopped in one corridor, leaning against the wall and sighed. He was going to go crazy in this maze-like castle, both for its seemingly endless corridors and twists and turns, but also because he felt like he'd burst if he didn't show Piper who he was, and soon! He'd been so close to spilling it the night before last, when they'd met on her balcony, and even closer the afternoon before his ribs had started to really, really hurt.

But he was worried, he had to admit. How would Piper react to finding out that the guy she loved and her fiancé who she was starting to like were the same person? Would she be happy, as Aerrow hoped? What if she got angry at him for deceiving her? Sure, it was so they could be together, but would she trust him again after this? After he'd lied to her?

He didn’t know why he just happened to glance out the window then, but he did, and it caused him to do a double-take. There was Piper! She was outside, in the royal gardens! But, as he recovered from his burst of overwhelming joy, he noticed that she looked…sort of sad. Something was riling her, and he’d be damned if he didn’t try to find out what!

...

Piper had been in the gardens all morning. She thought that the quiet and the peaceful greenery would relax her or help clear her mind. Sadly she’d been mistaken. She couldn’t stop thinking about the turn of events yesterday: Adam had won, Adam was now her fiancé, and she was going to marry him…but not Aerrow.

Yes, despite Adam’s obvious qualities, Adam was not Aerrow. True, she might be able to see Aerrow after she married (after all, her father had only forbidden her from seeing him until she was married, not for her whole life), but how could she look him in the eyes while sharing her meals, castle and bed with another man? And how could she face up to her husband-to-be when she did not love him?

It was just so unfair, for all parties; Aerrow was deprived of marrying the woman he loved, Piper had to marry a man she didn’t love and was unable to marry the one she did love, and Adam was marrying a woman he loved but didn’t love him back. She spotted a bench and sat down on it, her mind exhausted from thinking so much on such a depressing topic.

“Hi,”

The voice caught Piper completely by surprise. She jumped to her feet and turned sharply, but relaxed (if only slightly) when she saw it was Adam.

“Lord Adam,” she said, curtsying. “Are you feeling better?”

Adam tilted his head, confused, then seemingly remembered:  
“Huh? Oh, right, the ribs. Don’t worry. It’s almost good as new.”

She smiled.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

And she was. Even though her feelings for Adam were very confusing, she still cared about hi, as a friend at least.

“Princess,” Adam asked hesitantly.

“Just Piper, please. I don’t want things to be formal between us.” Piper assured.

He nodded.

“In that case, just Adam will be fine for me.”

Piper smiled, but didn’t say anything. What else could she say? There was a slightly awkward silence, but Adam blessedly ended it.

“Piper,” he started again, “have you been here all morning?”

She bit her lip, and admitted that she had.

“Why?” asked Adam. “Is there something wrong?”

Piper hesitated. She wanted to be honest with her fiancé, and it seemed he was very concerned for her. But still, it isn’t pleasant news to hear from someone who supposedly loves you that they, in fact, might not. Finally, she sighed and sat down on the nearby bench.

“Yes, there is.” she said.

Adam sat next to her.

“Tell me.” he said.

He said it so gently that it wasn’t an order or a demand. So, Piper did tell him:  
“Adam, I’m happy that you won; I was hoping you would. But…I still don’t think I’m in love with you.” she said slowly.

Adam didn’t react, apart from a blink of his eyes (then again, it was pretty hard to tell any of his reactions from the visor and his helmet). Piper waited a heartbeat, then continued:

“You see, there’s someone I was in love with before the competition, and I still do. Love him, I mean. But he’s a commoner, so my father wouldn’t approve of him.”

After half a minute, Adam finally asked:  
“Who is he?”

“Aerrow,” Piper answered, “the apprentice of a bard, and the most wonderful person I know.” she added the last in barely a mumble.

They were both quiet for a while after that, until Adam said:  
“You must love him very much.”

“I do. And that’s why this is so unfair, for both of us.”

“You mean because I love you and you love him?”

She nodded. That was exactly what she meant.

“Adam,” she said, “I do like you, and I think we could be great friends, but I don’t love you like I love Aerrow. I’m sorry.”

She waited for Adam's reaction. She expected anger or sadness, but Adam was calm. Actually, when he spoke, Piper could've sworn he almost sounded...happy?

"You don't have to be sorry, Piper. You can't help it if you love someone."

Piper frowned.

"How are you taking this so well?"

Adam seemed confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, aren't you even upset? You did all those tasks yesterday and the day before to win my hand, only to discover that I like someone else. I thought you'd be disappointed, I know I would."

"Well, I guess I'm a bit disappointed,"

Piper raised an eyebrow, wholly unconvinced.

"Okay, pretty disappointed-"

"And?"

Usually, Piper wouldn't want to interrupt, but she didn't want Adam to say he wanted to break the engagement or something of the sort. It would upset her father so much.

"-but I'm okay with it."

Piper blinked. Had she heard him right? Did he honestly say he was okay with it?

"What?"

"You heard me." he said, taking her hands in his. "If this guy really loves and you love him and he makes you happy, I'm alright with it."

Piper blinked slowly, slowly processing the words. They were almost exactly what Aerrow had said to her two nights before when they'd talked about how she felt about Adam himself. Coincidence? Maybe. Whatever the case, she felt a huge swell of gratitude to the lord.

"Adam, thank you." she said.

Even with the helmet, she could tell that he was smiling as he said next:  
"But this doesn't mean I'll stop loving you."

Piper looked down, blushing. Okay, that was almost too similar to Aerrow's own words. But she wouldn't bring that up now. Adam was already making a huge sacrifice...for her.

"Thank you," she said again, more softly this time.

…

Aerrow couldn't help repeating himself almost word for word from the other night. The same feelings were present today, including the almost crushing urge to laugh at the overwhelming irony of the situation. But he could laugh later, after he'd revealed himself (and probably after Piper showered him with some serious questioning), and there seemed no better time for that than now.

“Piper," he finally said, making her look up at him," when I came to find you, there was something I wanted to tell you too.”

“What is it?”

Aerrow swallowed hard, took his courage in both hands and stood up. Piper stood too, her head cocked to one side and looking intrigued. Aerrow reached up and held both sides of his helmet.

“Piper,” he said, starting to remove it, “I-”

Just then, a loud crash and rustle of leaves startled the two, making them jump, and Aerrow let go of the helmet. They turned around and saw-

“There’s my princess! And the man that thought to take her from me!”

Piper gaped.

“Crow?!” she exclaimed, taking a step back and away from him.

“The only and only!” the cyclonian prince said, grabbing her hand and planting a kiss on it.

Piper cringed and was grateful when he released her. Crow then turned to Aerrow, eyes blazing.

“And you! You thought you’d seen the last of me, didn’t you, little Lord Adam?!”

This was rather unfitting, since Aerrow was actually taller than Crow.

“Aren’t you supposed to be back on Cyclonia?”

"Never mind that!" Crow snapped. "What matters now is that you've stolen my future princess!"

Aerrow glared.

"She's not your anything, Crow, and I didn't steal her! I won those tasks fair and-"

"But you didn't finish them all!" Crow objected. "The only reason you won is because Cirrus forfeited!"

"But he still won!" an authoritative voice called out.

Everyone looked to see the king approaching them with the Grand Duke huffing and puffing behind him to keep up.

"Adam is Piper's betrothed, Prince Crow, and there is nothing you can do to change that!"

The prince gave Piper's father a scornful smirk.

"I beg to differ!"

Then he turned and pointed a dramatic finger at Aerrow.

"I challenge Lord Adam to a duel! The winner gets the princess!"

Everyone stared at Crow.

"You can't be serious!" Piper exclaimed.

"Don't listen to this nonsense, Adam." said the king, putting a hand on Aerrow's shoulder. "You don't have to accept his challenge. No one will blame you for it."

Aerrow wanted to agree with the king. But at the same time, he couldn't just ignore an open challenge like this. Sure, Crow was clearly a sore loser, and he'd keep being one even if Aerrow declined. And who knows? He might issue more challenges, even after he and Piper married. Might as well nip the weed before it spread.

"If I win," he asked, "will you leave Terra Krystal alone?"

Crow nodded.

"I will."

Piper looked at Aerrow incredulous.

"Adam, you're not actually considering this?!"

"It's the only way, he'll leave Terra Krystal. Besides," Aerrow couldn't hold back a small grin that was hidden by his helmet, "I beat him last time, I can do it again."

He turned to the prince, who had a smug look on his face.

"I accept your challenge."

"Good," said the cyclonian. "I'll leave you a few hours to prepare for your humiliation. We duel at sundown."

…

Sundown came, and Aerrow stood in the emptied courtyard, waiting for Crow to show up.

Behind him, Piper waited with baited breath next to her father and the Grand Duke. She was a bit nervous. Crow had seemed far too confident for her liking when he'd challenged Adam to the duel, considering how he'd been defeated. Surely, there was something more to this, and it worried her.

Finally, Crow drove up on his skimmer, followed closely by a second ride. Aerrow clenched his fists around the hilts of his blades. But before he took a step, he felt Piper's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her.

"Be careful." she said.

He smiled at her concern.

"I'll be alright." he promised.

Then he stepped up to the middle of the courtyard. Crow's smug grin widened, and that's when Aerrow realized: he wasn't armoured, and he didn't have his sword. He was completely unarmed! He didn't look ready for a duel at all! What was he planning?

"Are you ready to taste defeat, Adam?" he called out.

Aerrow didn't bother with another taunt.

"Where's your sword?" he asked.

Crow's grin was large enough to swallow a whole watermelon slice.

"Oh, I'm not fighting you." he said. "You'll be duelling my champion: the Dark Ace."

Aerrow's eyes shot wide open. The man on the second skimmer dismounted and stepped towards him, his gate like a vicious tiger ready to pounce. He was much older than Aerrow, a fully griwn adult warrior, with black hair, coppering armour that glistening in the fading sunlight, and piercing blood-red eyes. He looked rather terrifying.

"You cheated, Crow!" Aerow shouted at the damn prince. "You never said a thing about champions!"

"Oh," Crow feigned guilt, "my mistake. Dark Ace! Beat him to the ground!"

The Dark Ace drew his sword, activating it. It glowed ominously with a bright red hue.

"With pleasure, your grace."

He launched himself at Aerrow, lunging with his sword! Aerrow jumped back, narrowly dodging the blow! The man swung again and Aerrow brought up his blades to meet his! The three swords clashed and sparks flew as metal screeched on metal. They pushed against each other, until the Dark Ace pulled his sword away and swiped at Aerrow's torso!

Aerrow managed to dodge, but the man tripped him, sending him sprawling! Piper gasped, trying to reach him, but her father held her back. Aerrow looked up, slightly dazed, and rolled aside before the Dark Ace could take his head off! He got to his feet and blocked another of the man's blows. It wasn't going well, the Dark Ace was starting to wear Aerrow down. His attacks were merciless and too quick for Aerrow to get a blow in.

Suddenly, a sharp pain burned through his side and he cried out! He'd been too slow; the Dark Ace had managed to cut him just over his still-healing ribs! He nearly collapsed to his knees, dropping one of his short swords as he clutched at the wound. He raised his head, and CRACK! The sword hit him in the side of the head, sending him toppling. He winced as another bolt of pain flared through his ribs.

The helmet had been broken where it'd been hit, though it spared Aerrow from any major injury, despite leaving a very small cut as the metal scratched his head. It flew off and landed with a scrapping clack and clattered as it rolled to its side. Aerrow blinked through the blinding pain up at the Dark Ace, who was grinning wickedly, sure of victory. Then he heard Piper's shocked gasp and her voice calling out:  
"Aerrow?!!!"


	11. The Reveal

"Aerrow?!?!"

Piper couldn't believe this. She could not believe this!! One moment, she was fighting against her father's grip to help Adam and-and suddenly it wasn't Adam, it was Aerrow! Aerrow, wearing Adam's armour, pretending...to be Adam? What was going on here?!

Her father was just as incredulous.

"What in the name of Atmos!?!?"

'Oh, right, the helmet.' Aerrow thought.

This certainly wasn't how he'd thought the reveal would go. Nope, not in the middle of a duel between him and a murderous Cyclonian with two bleeding cuts on his forehead and over his ribs (which, holy mother of terra, still hurt).

And speaking of murderous Cyclonians, the Dark Ace let out a chuckle.

"Pitiful," he said, "I was expecting a challenge."

Aerrow saw the blade glow brighter, and heard the hum of building energy. Before the man could strike, he grit his teeth and planted his feet on the ground. He darted out of the way of the blast, grabbing his second sword as he ran. The Dark Ace was taken aback; just long enough for Aerrow to shoot a blast from his own swords. The blue energy wave knocked him off of his feet! He got back up, but when raised his head, Aerrow was already flying at him! His boot hit the man squarely in the jaw! The Dark Ace landed with a heavy THUMP and a CLATTER as his sword slipped from his hand.

Now, he was mad. He growled, a thin trail of blood leaking from his broken nose, and reached for his sword. Aerrow kicked it aside and pointed one of his blades in the man's face.

"I wouldn't." Aerrow warned.

The look the Dark Ace gave him was pure loathing. Aerrow glared back in return.

"Yield."

"I do not yield."

"I don't think you have a choice." Aerrow pointed the sword a little closer to the man's throat.

"You are an adolescent, with barely any battle experience, tired and wounded. If I got up, I could kill you within minutes."

"Who says I'm stupid enough to let you try?" Aerrow asked. "Besides, your prince ordered you to "beat me to the ground", not to kill me."

The man grumbled something rather rude which the author will not transcribe here.

"Now, yield."

The Cyclonian hesitated, and then let out an angry breath.

"I yield." he grunted with a mountain of reluctance.

With that, Aerrow sheathed his blades, allowing the Dark Ace to regain his feet. He grabbed his sword and returned to Crow's side, giving Aerrow a burning acid glare. But he wasn't one of Aerrow's concerns now. He turned to look at Piper, and saw her running to him.

"Aerrow!" she cried out.

She reached him and hugged him so tight his ribs almost snapped. But it was so sweet to hold her and be held by her and have her finally know that he smiled through it. She pulled away, and immediately started talking:  
"What-I mean-how-you-Adam-you were-why-this whole time-you-"

"Piper!" Aerrow interrupted her nervous rambling.

"What?"

"Breathe."

She took a few long, deep breaths. Aerrow couldn't hold back his laugh. He was just so happy, so completely happy that it just bubbled out.

"Feeling better?" he asked Piper once she appeared calmer.

"Honestly," she said, putting a hand to her forehead, "I think I'm going to pass out."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. Just need to...wrap my head around all this...which could be easier said than done."

Aerrow couldn't blame her for that. Piper finally looked up at him.

"Tell me what happened." she said, not as a demand or an order, but almost pleading. "And tell the truth."

Aerrow took her hand in his.

"I was Adam," he said, "this whole time. Well, I was pretending to be Adam. Stork set up the competition as a way for me to get in. He found Adam on the list of suitors your father made so that I could take his place."

"So that's why you wore the helmet." Piper finished. "So that no one would realize that, instead of Adam being in the competition, it was you."

Aerrow nodded.

"Exactly,"

"And what about the letter? The one Adam wrote me after I sent one to him? That was yours?"

"Yeah, that was mine."

A smile spread across Piper's face. She let out a burst of laughter and shook her head.

"This whole time, I was trying to convince myself that Adam wasn't you. But it turns out you were him!"

She hugged him, being careful not to touch his sensitive ribs. Aerrow returned the embrace. But there was still something on his mind.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"Sorry for what?"

Piper pulled away. Aerrow found it hard to meet her eyes.

"For lying to you. I had to trick you to-"

Piper put a finger to his mouth, stopping him.

"In other circumstances," she admitted, "I would be a little upset."

She took both of his hands and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"But I forgive you."

Aerrow smiled. He leaned in to kiss her again, but was interrupted by a furious voice:

"No! This isn't supposed to happen!"

They turned. Crow was raging, fuming, practically boiling. He pointed a threatening finger at Aerrow and yelled:  
"He's just a peasant! A pauper! You can't marry him! Princesses do NOT marry commoners!"

Piper glared at him.

"Well, this princess DOES."

This only served to make Crow even more outraged.

"You WILL marry me! Even if I have to drag you to the altar!" he screeched.

Aerrow instinctively reached for his swords, ready to rip Crow to shreds if he so much as took a step closer to Piper. But luckily, the king spoke up:  
"No, she won't."

Everyone turned to face the monarch, who placed a protective hand both on his daughter's and Aerrow's shoulder. The grand duke behind him blanched.

"But, your highness, you can't be-"

The king gave him a look that ordered him to shut up, and shut up the duke did, immediately. Piper's father faced Crow.

"Admittedly, Crow, you are the sort of person I once would've considered marrying to my daughter."

Piper frowned indignantly at her father, but as he continued, her brows lifted:  
"However, my daughter's marriage is her own. And besides, I gave my word as a king that I would accept whoever won the competition and her favour."

He turned and smiled at the princess, completely ignoring Crow, who seemed to be having trouble with his vocal cords.

"And, I'm asuming Aerrow here does?"

She nodded, grabbing Aerrow's hand. The king nodded and gave Aerrow a warm smile.

"Then there's nothing I can do."

He stepped forward.

"I was a fool to try to keep you away from my daughter," he said. "I see that now. You both love each other, and I believe you've more than proven your worth."

Aerrow beamed.

"Thank you, your grace."

The king roared with laughter and clapped him hard on the shoulder. Aerrow winced. This man was stronger than he looked! Or maybe that was just his wounds getting the better of him.

"You better started calling me father, if you're to be my son-in-law!"

"Father!" said Piper. "He's still wounded!"

It was so sweet of her to be this concerned. But Aerrow wasn't helpless.

"I'm alright."

She frowned at him.

"I'm still taking you to be healed."

She took his arm and started leading him inside. Aerrow smiled at her.

"I love you." he murmured.

Piper blushed, but answered just as softly:  
"I love you too."

Behind him, Aerrow heard the king call out:  
"Grand Duke! I believe we have a wedding to plan!"

…

And a wedding there was. An enormous wedding, even grander than the day Piper's suitors had competed for her hand! Aerrow couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. He would've preferred a simpler ceremony, with just their friends and family, no fuss required. But Piper was a princess, and princesses could hardly be wed in a simple ceremony, even if it was to a pauper.

But Aerrow was a pauper no more. Once he and Piper were wed, he was the prince of Terra Krystal, the prince! In time, he would rule alongside Piper, and their reign was surely to be a long and prosperous one.

Aerrow's friends also benefitted from the marriage. Junko, Finn and Radarr became royal advisors, and Stork became a renowned poet all throughout Atmos. His best work, without a doubt, was a rather charming tale he'd written in thanks to his protégé for granting him so much status. It was the story he'd written to immortalize Aerrow and Piper's love story, from its beginning to its triumph, a story with a very straightforward title: The Princess and the Pauper.

The End


End file.
